On his second day at work, he was sent to Vietnam. The police stopped him at the airport: "This is a suicide mission."

A young guy had just landed a job, and on the second day of onboarding he was dispatched overseas to Vietnam. His family felt something was off and called the police. At the airport boarding gate, the police stopped him and said, “You’re going to die.”

This story sounds eerie, but it’s actually true. On the afternoon of March 17, at Shanghai Hongqiao Airport, Liu—25 years old—almost stepped onto a road he couldn’t come back from.

1. A pie falling from the sky

Liu, 25, was in the prime of his youth. These days, finding a job isn’t easy. The resumes he sent went nowhere, and after interviews with dozens of companies, there was still no response. Just when he was frowning and at a loss, an online job posting caught his eye.

“High-paying recruitment for the digital industry chain—more than 10,000 per month, meals and lodging included, no experience required—no entry barriers.”

Who wouldn’t be tempted by conditions like that? Liu immediately applied. Guess what? That same day, he received an interview notice. After the interview, they made the decision on the spot: hired!

Liu was so happy. He thought he’d finally turned around—luck had changed. But little did he know: this wasn’t turning around; it was falling into a trap.

On the first day of onboarding, he hadn’t even gotten his workstation warmed up when, on the second day he started work, the boss called him into the office: “Liu, the company has a big project in Vietnam. You’re going to take over.”

Liu froze. “So fast?”

The boss smiled and said, “Young people need more training. Your salary will double. We’ll leave tomorrow.”

Liu felt uneasy: how could a legitimate company do things like this? But then he thought again—maybe it was because he was capable, and they were重用了 him.

2. The family sensed something was wrong

When Liu got home, he told his family about it. As soon as the elders heard, their brows furrowed.

“Wait, what did you say? You’re being dispatched overseas on your second day? And it’s Vietnam?”

“Yes. The company trusts me.”

“Trust my ass!” the old man slapped his thigh. “What kind of legitimate company does that? You ask them—what visa did they get you?”

Liu took out his passport. He saw it was a tourist visa.

The old man’s face changed. “A tourist visa to work? This is illegal! And where are the flight tickets?”

“One-way ticket—Shanghai to Xiamen, then a connection to Ho Chi Minh City.”

“One-way?” The old man gasped. “This is leaving with no return!”

Liu still didn’t believe it. “You’re overthinking it. The company said someone will meet me there.”

“Meet you? They’ll meet you at the scam factory to recruit you into a fraud compound!”

After the family劝了半天, Liu still wouldn’t listen. Young people, they always think their family is making a big deal out of nothing and blocking their own path to opportunity. When persuasion didn’t work, the family made up their minds and called the police.

3. Life-and-death sprint at the airport

When the Shanghai Municipal Public Security Bureau’s airport branch received the report, there were only 40 minutes left before the flight closed boarding.

40 minutes—how easy is it to find someone?

But the officers didn’t hesitate. They immediately launched an emergency response: broadcasting to search for him, checking surveillance footage, and inspecting the boarding gate. A life-and-death sprint unfolded inside the airport.

Finally, at the boarding gate, the officers found Liu. At that moment, Liu was just preparing to board.

“Is your name Liu Mou? Don’t board yet—talk to us first.”

Liu still wasn’t happy. “I have a flight to catch. The company is waiting for me.”

The police didn’t beat around the bush. They went straight to the point: “Do you know what visa you’re holding? A tourist visa! Using a tourist visa to work overseas is illegal.”

“But the company said…”

“The company said? The company also told you it’s high pay, right?” The officer cut him off. “Look at what kind of ticket you have—one-way. With legitimate overseas dispatches, they’re round-trip tickets. Have you ever seen a company that buys its employees one-way tickets?”

Liu froze.

The officer continued: “Do you know what ‘project’ is waiting for you in Vietnam? Telecommunications fraud. Once you go there, your passport gets confiscated, your personal freedom gets controlled, and you’ll have to do whatever they tell you. Can’t complete the task? You get beaten. Want to run? They catch you and beat you even harder!”

“I… I won’t participate in illegal activities, so that’s fine, right?”

“You don’t get to decide once you get there!” The officer sighed. “In that kind of place, individuals basically don’t have any choice.”

4. A bucket of cold water to wake him up

The officers carefully broke everything down for Liu, explaining for a full half hour.

That tourist visas can’t be used for work is common knowledge. A one-way ticket shows the other side doesn’t intend for you to come back. As for the so-called “digital industry,” it’s very likely just a cover for telecommunications fraud.

Those words were like a bucket of cold water, finally bringing Liu back to his senses.

The more he heard, the more afraid he became; cold sweat ran down his back. If his family hadn’t called the police, and if the officers hadn’t intercepted him in time, he might already have been on the flight to Vietnam. Waiting for him wouldn’t be a high-paying job, but a fraud compound—illegal detention—endless days without a shred of hope.

“I… I’m not going.”

The officer patted him on the shoulder. “You’ve figured it out—that’s good. Remember: pies don’t fall from the sky. What falls down is usually a trap.”

5. This isn’t an isolated case

Don’t think Liu’s situation was a coincidence. Data from INTERPOL shows that in 2025 alone, there were 170,000 cross-border job-seeking scams worldwide, involving over $8 billion in total money. Of every 10 victims, 8 are young people.

These scammers understand young people’s psychology too well. Just graduating, desperately trying to find a job, seeing phrases like “high-paying overseas dispatch” and “no entry barriers, high salary, accommodation arranged,” their eyes go straight.

But if you think about it carefully—where does a legitimate company really hire like that?

Fast onboarding, urgent dispatch, ridiculously high pay, and non-compliant paperwork—these four points. As long as you have even one of them, you should be highly alert. If you have all four, it’s 100% a scam.

A legitimate company dispatching employees overseas would strictly handle work visas, arrange round-trip itineraries, provide pre-departure training, and sign contracts—every step is mandatory. How could it possibly be like the company Liu encountered, urgently sending a new hire abroad?

6. How to avoid scams?

Now that we’ve reached this point, we should warn young people who are currently looking for jobs.

First, overseas work must go through regular labor service companies that have been filed/recorded with the Ministry of Commerce. You can check and verify these companies’ information on official websites—don’t just trust what they say.

Second, confirm whether you have a lawful work visa. Any tourist visa or business visa cannot be equated with a work visa for overseas labor. Working abroad with a tourist visa is itself suspected of being illegal.

Third, when you encounter seemingly tempting opportunities like “dispatched overseas immediately upon onboarding” or “high pay with zero entry barriers,” stay calm first. Carefully verify the company’s full name, registration information, specific business scope, and office address. If these details are vague or can’t be provided, there’s likely a problem.

Fourth, talk more with your family. Young people shouldn’t be blindly confident and assume they won’t be scammed. Scam methods keep evolving—staying vigilant is an effective way to prevent them.

Remember: there are no good things in life that come without effort. Behind an apparently tempting “high salary,” there may be risks you can’t bear.

7. Written at the end

In the end, Liu’s situation ended as a happy resolution. But how many young people are not that lucky?

According to a report from the Lancang River–Mekong River Comprehensive Law Enforcement and Security Cooperation Center, from 2023 to 2025 there were 4,842 cases of suspected fake job advertisements. Geographical terms such as “overseas” and “abroad” appeared in 26.7% of occurrences, and salary promises like “more than 10,000 per month” accounted for 24.7%.

Behind these cold numbers are countless lives and families that could be destroyed.

When it comes to finding a job, don’t rush. Add one more measure of caution and one less rush. Don’t let short-term benefits cloud your judgment. If you encounter “urgent overseas dispatch” or “high-paying temptations,” ask yourself first: if it’s that good, why would it happen to me?

Once you figure this out, many scams collapse on their own.