A WOMAN who was trapped by a pyramid selling group in Qing-yuan City, Guangdong Province saved herself by throwing 1 yuan (US$0.15) out of a window with a message for help written on it, according to the Qingyuan Daily.

    The 29-year-old woman from Hunan Province, surnamed Liao, lived in Shenzhen before she was offered a new job in Qingyuan by an online friend last month. The man told her that she could earn 5,000 yuan a month by working as an accountant and that the company would provide free food and accommodations for her.

    Liao took a bus to Qingyuan after she was persuaded by the man, but when she stepped into the company’s office, she realized that she had joined a pyramid selling group as several people took away her phone and wallet and forbid her from leaving.

    Liao was asked to borrow money from her friends to buy the group’s products, and a female member would always keep an eye on Liao while she was eating, sleeping, taking a bath or even using the toilet.

    After being trapped in the building for a week, Liao wrote “call the police, help, pyramid selling, 8th floor” on a 1-yuan bank note with an eyebrow pencil and threw it out of the bathroom window.

    A passer-by picked up the money and called the police. Later Liao was rescued and five of the people in the group were detained by police.

    According to the police, five suspects, including four men and one woman, had been selling cosmetic products through a pyramid scheme since January. The investigation of the case continues.

    (Zhang Yang)