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On October 22, 2026, Shanghai Jing'an police dismantled a gang that used AI to write plugins for snapping up limited-edition Pop Mart blind boxes, arresting 25 people involved in the case. According to a report by Shangguan News the same day, police have verified more than 5 million yuan in illegal gains. The plugins bypassed the official sales channel's protection system, automatically scanning inventory around the clock and placing orders rapidly; they were priced from 100 to 700 yuan, with a monthly card at 280 yuan and a lifetime card at 580 yuan. The report said that providing the plugins is suspected of the crime of providing programs for illegally controlling computer information systems, while using the plugins to snap up goods is suspected of the crime of illegally obtaining computer information system data. Currently, publicly available information covers only the arrests and the verified illegal gains; no disclosure has been seen regarding subsequent handling.
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Jing'an police crack down on a gang using AI plug-ins to snap up Pop Mart blind boxes, 25 arrestedDevelopments
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Oct 22
Shanghai Observer
Jing'an police crack down on a gang using AI plug-ins to snap up Pop Mart blind boxes, 25 arrested
Shanghai Jing'an police have dismantled a gang that used AI to write plug-ins for snapping up limited-edition Pop Mart blind boxes, arresting 25 people involved in the case; more than 5 million yuan in illegal gains has been verified. The plug-ins bypassed the protection systems of official sales channels, automatically scanned inventory around the clock and placed orders rapidly, and sold for 100 to 700 yuan, with a monthly card at 280 yuan and a lifetime card at 580 yuan. Providing the plug-ins is suspected of the crime of providing programs for illegally controlling computer information systems, while using the plug-ins to snap up goods is suspected of the crime of illegally obtaining computer information system data.