In China, a gym employee deceived a man by selling him a subscription for 300 years (2 photos)

A 45-year-old Hangzhou resident named Jin said he had been training at the gym for three years when staff began offering him an “exclusive” opportunity for loyal customers: buying long-term memberships at a discounted price and then reselling them to new members at double the price.





They said the club only takes a 10% commission, with the rest being pure profit for the buyer. If the membership fails to sell within two months, they promise a full refund.

“They said it was a good investment. If I don’t sell it, they’ll give me my money back. It seemed like there was no risk,” the man recalls.

However, after just a few days, the seller offered to repeat the deal, this time with even larger volumes. Believing the promises, Jin began buying memberships en masse. Thus, in three months, he spent about $120,000, buying almost 1,200 personal training sessions and memberships, with a total duration of 300 years.

Jin was never able to sell his investments, and when the deadline for returning the funds arrived, contact with the seller, manager, and owner of the club was suddenly interrupted. The phones were disconnected, the office was empty, and the fitness center itself suddenly stopped working. According to the man, the scammers disappeared without a trace.

“I didn’t just lose money. I was left with 300 years of memberships to the gym. Even if I lived forever, I wouldn’t be able to use them,” he complains.

The victim has contacted the Hangzhou police, and the criminal investigation into the fraud is ongoing. Jin has also filed a civil lawsuit demanding a partial refund.

However, lawyers warn that the chances of getting the money back are minimal. The fact is that all the contracts were signed voluntarily, and they explicitly state that the subscriptions are non-transferable and non-refundable.