Introduction:Within a single month, a chain bubble tea brand received eleven complaints from eight of its outlets in the same district, all alleging that “hair was found in the bubble tea,” with each claimant demanding tenfold compensation. The total payout amounted to over eleven thousand yuan. After police investigation, it was discovered that the suspect had exploited loopholes in the Food Safety Law for personal gain and was ultimately prosecuted for extortion. This article reconstructs the case and explains the criteria and legal consequences of extortion, helping both merchants and consumers discern the line between legitimate rights protection and illegal profiteering.
A well-known chain bubble tea brand with over six hundred outlets unexpectedly received eleven similar complaints within just one month from eight outlets in the same area. The reasons were almost identical: customers claimed to have found hair in their delivered bubble tea and all demanded ten times the purchase price in compensation. These claims collectively cost the business over eleven thousand yuan. After detecting something suspicious, the stores reported the issue to the police, who quickly identified a repeat offender—a woman who had been taking advantage of the guise of “rights protection” to commit extortion.
The incident began with a customer who identified herself as Ms. Zhang. She discovered a strand of hair in her delivered bubble tea and immediately called the merchant, demanding tenfold compensation under the Food Safety Law. During the call, she insisted firmly, “I’ve already made a big concession. I don’t want this to cause negative publicity; otherwise, word will spread.” The merchant initially offered to waive the charge, but she refused, emphasizing that she “knew the law” and cited the relevant statute: “If a consumer purchases food that does not meet food safety standards, in addition to claiming compensation for losses, they can also demand payment of ten times the price.” To avoid damage to the brand’s reputation, the merchant chose to pay the tenfold compensation.
Unexpectedly, a few days later, another outlet of the same brand in the vicinity received a similar complaint. This time, a customer identifying herself as Ms. Wang claimed to have found hair in her bubble tea and followed the same script, demanding tenfold compensation. The store again agreed to pay.
From then on, multiple outlets of the brand in the area successively received complaints following the same pattern. Within just one month, eight outlets received a total of eleven such complaints. Though the calls came from different phone numbers and involved different “customers,” the claims were all about finding hair in the bubble tea, with the cumulative payout exceeding eleven thousand yuan. The high frequency and similarity of these claims raised red flags among the store managers. By comparing the details, they noticed that all the complainants were women and that the delivery addresses pointed to the same residential compound (with only the recipient's name and floor number differing). As a result, the merchants decided to report the matter to the police.
Based on the clues provided by the stores, the police preliminarily determined that the complaints were likely made by the same person and launched an investigation. They eventually identified and arrested a woman named Wang, who worked at an accounting firm, on suspicion of extortion. When the police arrived, Wang was caught off guard.
According to legal provisions, extortion becomes a criminal offense when the amount involved reaches a “relatively large sum,” which is generally defined as between two thousand and five thousand yuan. In this case, Wang’s total extortion amount exceeded eleven thousand yuan, clearly surpassing the legal threshold and meeting the criteria for criminal liability.
According to Wang’s confession, she initially filed a complaint after genuinely finding hair in her bubble tea. However, upon realizing that merchants, out of concern for their brand reputation, would readily offer compensation, she saw it as an “easy way to make money.” After succeeding twice, she escalated her actions, repeatedly targeting different outlets of the same brand using the same method. Unbeknownst to her, her behavior had violated the crime of extortion under the Criminal Law, and she ultimately could not escape legal punishment.
Currently, Wang has been criminally detained by the police, and the case is still under further investigation. According to relevant articles of the Criminal Law of the People’s Republic of China, those convicted of extortion involving public or private property, either in a relatively large amount or through repeated acts, may face up to three years of fixed-term imprisonment, criminal detention, or public surveillance, along with a fine or a fine alone.
This case serves as a reminder to businesses that while they are legally responsible for food safety issues, they should also be vigilant against individuals exploiting legal loopholes for profit. For consumers, while lawful rights protection is protected by law, using the law as a tool for improper gain will also be met with severe penalties. Only by jointly adhering to the spirit of the law can market order and fairness be truly upheld.
The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.
