China man’s $120K health investment turns sour as gym management vanishes

What started as a tempting investment opportunity turned into one of the most bizarre and costly scams for a man in China. In eastern China’s Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, a regular gym-goer named Jin lost over 870,000 yuan (US$120,000) to a deal that promised profit, fitness, and, believe it or not, 300 years of gym access.

The Too-Good-to-Be-True Offer

On May 9, Jin, who had been a loyal customer of Ranyan Gym for three years, was approached with an “exclusive” promotion. For 8,888 yuan, he could buy a one-year membership card, which the gym would resell for 16,666 yuan. Ten percent of the profit would stay with the gym, and the rest would be returned to him. The pitch was simple: quick returns with zero risk.

At first skeptical, Jin was assured by sales staff that unsold cards would be fully refunded within two months. Starting small, he bought two cards. But within weeks, the smooth-talking team persuaded him to buy more memberships and private lessons, sometimes spending over 300,000 yuan in a single transaction.

The Disappearance

By mid-July, Jin expected his first returns. Instead, he got excuses. Days later, the sales team and management vanished. Shockingly, the gym still operated, but only with reception and admin staff, leaving Jin with 26 contracts and no legal guarantee of repayment.Jin admitted the contracts lacked any mention of returns or resale rights. “I was brainwashed,” he said, adding he never planned to actually use 1,200 lessons over 300 years.

A Costly Lesson

What began as a ‘health investment’ turned into a cautionary tale about blind trust and too-good-to-be-true deals. For Jin, the gym membership scam wasn’t just about money, it was about learning the high cost of misplaced faith.