Shanghai Taxi Driver Stole From Sleeping Drunk Passangers for Months — Using Their Own Fingers

A man in Shanghai took a taxi home after a night of drinking — and woke up to find ¥666 missing from his Alipay. He hadn't made any payments. So where did the money go?

Shanghai's Pudong police have since cracked a serial theft case, arresting a taxi driver who had been systematically stealing from drunk passengers by scanning their phones while they slept.

"I just slept for a bit — and the money was gone."

Geng had no idea what happened. He'd left a bar in Pudong's Jinzhong Plaza in the early hours of March 24, hailed a cab, and passed out in the backseat before they'd barely left. When he woke up at home, his Alipay showed a ¥666 payment made at 5:40am — while he was still in the taxi. He hadn't touched his phone. He couldn't explain it.

So he walked into Pudong's Shanggang Xincun police station and filed a report.

Investigators traced the transaction to a merchant account registered under "Zhuokai Menswear." The account holder was his Shanghai taxi driver, a man surnamed Li.

It turned out Li had been doing this for months.

How He Did It: Unlock Your Phone With Your Own Finger, Scan, Delete

Li worked Shanghai's bar districts late at night, specifically targeting drunk passengers. He kept three merchant accounts and a set of POS machines in his car. Once a passenger passed out, he would unlock their phone using their finger, open their Alipay QR code, and scan it. He kept every charge under ¥1,000 to avoid triggering contactless payment limits — then deleted the transaction from the passenger's phone before they arrived home.

"Those people were so drunk they didn't even know where their phone was," Li told police after his arrest. "By the time they woke up, they couldn't remember what had happened."

Months of Victims, Nearly ¥10,000 Stolen

Police dug into his accounts and found the same pattern going back to late December 2024 — fixed amounts of ¥666 and ¥880, always in the early hours of the morning. Two more victims were identified across Shanghai. One had been charged four separate times, losing nearly ¥2,000. Total suspicious transactions across Li's three accounts are now approaching ¥10,000, and Shanghai police are still identifying more victims.

No License, A Prior Conviction — And A Car That Wasn't His

Li had no taxi license and no ride-hailing permit. The car he was driving belonged to another Shanghai driver, surnamed Yu, who had been renting it to him for ¥4,000 a month. Li also had a prior conviction for credit card fraud. 

Li has been detained on theft charges. Yu has been referred to transport authorities for illegally subletting his vehicle.

Stay Alert

Pudong police advise against taking taxis or ride-hails alone after a night out in Shanghai. Ask a sober friend to keep an eye on your phone and wallet. If you spot any unfamiliar transactions after a night out, report it to Shanghai police immediately.

Source: 上海法治报

Get daily news, tips, and events in Shanghai

Connect with expat communities and industry experts

For the latest jobs&policy updates, scan the code below to follow AnyJob! 

If you have any questions about China visa applications (work visa, company registration and more), please contact our visa consultant Freya.