Company email was stolen, Sohu employees fell victim to fraud
[4] Compiled from: Red Star News
Case review
On May 25, the topic "Sohu employees fall victim to salary subsidy scam" topped Weibo's trending list, sparking widespread online discussion. According to a post by Weibo influencer "Wang Luobei," Sohu employees received an email from an internal company domain with the subject "salary subsidy," and many employees who clicked on it were scammed, with a large number of victims and significant financial losses.
The leaked content shows that on May 18, all Sohu employees received an email titled "Notice on May Employee Salary Subsidy," signed by "Sohu Finance Department." Many employees followed the instructions in the attachment, scanned QR codes, and filled in bank account details, only to realize they had been scammed, with their salary card balances being transferred out. Sohu has reminded employees to be cautious in company group chats and is compiling information on affected employees, stating it will be provided to the local police station.
On the afternoon of May 25, Sohu CEO Zhang Chaoyang responded to the matter on Weibo. Zhang stated that the situation was not as serious as imagined—an internal email password of a Sohu employee was stolen, and the thief impersonated the finance department to send emails to staff. The technical team handled it urgently after discovery, with total financial losses under 50,000 yuan. It did not involve personal email accounts for public services.
"Criminal Law of the People's Republic of China"
Article 266 [Fraud Crime]
Whoever defrauds public or private property, if the amount is relatively large, shall be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment of not more than three years, criminal detention, or public surveillance, and shall also, or shall only, be fined; if the amount is huge or there are other serious circumstances, shall be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment of not less than three years but not more than ten years, and shall also be fined; if the amount is especially huge or there are other especially serious circumstances, shall be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment of not less than ten years or life imprisonment, and shall also be fined or have property confiscated. Where this Law otherwise provides, such provisions shall prevail.
[1] The author's perspective
Regarding the news that "all Sohu employees fell victim to a salary subsidy scam," some netizens expressed shock, commenting, "A network company got its home burgled." Others said, "Scams are impossible to guard against—the employees are too unlucky."
This shows that even a large internet company like Sohu can be targeted by scammers, and over twenty Sohu employees have already been deceived. Although the amount involved in this scam is not large, it serves as a reminder to the public: carefully verify email information, do not blindly trust so-called "official links," be cautious when opening any links, and especially double-check any requests for ID cards or bank card details.
Furthermore, as an internet company, Sohu's IT and security departments took emergency measures immediately after the incident and reported it to the police, which was the right approach. However, the company must also consider users' trust in its system, as user information is extremely important. System security must be strengthened, or it may lose public support.
