Although many people know that injecting hyaluronic acid is a medical cosmetic procedure that shouldn't be performed in non-medical settings like beauty salons, many salons still knowingly violate regulations, targeting unsuspecting customers seeking beauty treatments. However, there are those who have taken it a step further into the shady business of "blackmailing fellow criminals." Recently, Qiqihar cracked a blackmail case where a beauty salon owner and his wife, along with two accomplices, went so far as to disfigure themselves to extort money from other beauty salon operators.
The suspects included Luo and Sun, the couple who ran a cosmetic surgery hospital with complete credentials as a legitimate medical aesthetic institution. They discovered numerous beauty establishments lacked medical licenses and proper documentation, with many "cosmetic studios" using WeChat Moments to poach their clientele.
Driven by resentment, the couple teamed up with Liang and Wu—both burdened by personal debts—to launch their extortion scheme.
Their modus operandi was as follows: They would first receive hyaluronic acid injections at a beauty salon, then return to their own clinic to inject a substance causing symptoms resembling "facial embolism." They would subsequently demand compensation from the targeted salon.
Since most beauty salons lack proper licensing, they often settle claims privately to avoid investigations.
By the time authorities intervened, the quartet had extorted four victims totaling 530,000 yuan. All suspects are now under criminal detention as the case progresses.
While this extortion scheme may seem absurdly unconventional and leave people speechless, Public Health Network still urges caution: Always choose licensed medical institutions for hyaluronic acid injections—never go to beauty salons or private studios!