On July 21, XCMOD Studio, a Bilibili UP owner (a creator and blogger who uploads videos on Bilibili, Xiaohongshu, Douyin and other platforms) who is deeply involved in the high-end PC circle, was suddenly exposed to have run away.
He posted a note on the WeChat customer group:
"Let me tell you, it's unfortunate that this happened... My investment has completely collapsed. Currently, my total debt is close to 2 million yuan, and I only have more than 20,000 yuan left. I have no choice but to ask for help and borrow money... Now I am abroad, and I hope to make money... I have always been based on integrity in doing business for so many years. I have registered all customers' debts and order amounts, and kept all records. When I make money, I will try my best to repay..."
XCMOD only accepts high-end orders
Someone privately transferred the full amount of 91,000 yuan in one lump sum
XCMOD Studio is a well-known old installation team at Station B. Station B has 113,000 fans. Its personal home page introduction shows, "My job has closed down and I am currently trying to make money to pay back the money." There are 505 videos in total. The latest video was released on July 13, with more than 210,000 views and more than 1,800 comments.
Netizen "Please give me a lot of advice198" commented: "All my hard-earned money is gone..."
Netizen "Lin Zhengying's Blade": "First-hand information, I made millions by speculating in virtual currencies. I found that I made more money than selling computers, and then I started to study..."
Netizen "higrenade": "The better your reputation is, the more money you can withdraw at once when you finally run away."
"Watch and cherish" and "Run away" were all written in the barrage...
The earliest updates of this UP owner can be traced back to 2018, and the frequency of video updates is stable. It specializes in displaying top-end computers and high-end consoles with exquisite water-cooling modifications, and has gradually gained popularity.
He said that he has always been "operating with integrity" and many wealthy players trust him and are willing to place orders with him for computers. His core audience is not ordinary users who just need it, but anchors and high-end players with sufficient budgets. The threshold for accepting orders is extremely high. It is announced that it only accepts RTX5090 and 5090D high-end customized consoles. The actual orders are mainly for the top-end models of the RTX4090 series. A single console generally sells for 30,000 to 60,000 yuan. Most of its customers are streamers and high-budget players.
In this regard, many netizens ridiculed that "XCMOD is a conscientious person in the industry and never deceives the poor. It only accepts orders for 5090 "Brother Rich". If the poor want to give him money, they will not accept it."
Because of "trust", many people do not choose formal third-party trading platforms and make private transfers directly through WeChat and Alipay in order to enjoy discounts and speed up order arrangement.
Some netizens directly transferred the entire amount of 91,000 yuan in one go via WeChat, and some said they transferred 93,000 yuan.
Some netizens said that there are actually signs of "running away". Many orders placed in May have been delayed indefinitely, and accessories have also been misappropriated from each other. Also, the prices have become more expensive and the discounts are less.
Netizen "Back to the Moon Time": "I was going to ask him to install it in May, but I can only be glad that the disaster was always a step ahead of me. First of all, the quote he gave me was relatively expensive. I don't know why it was as expensive as when I ordered parts on JD.com. Secondly, he transferred money privately without going through the platform, and I was worried about the risk."
Netizen "Frozen Bird Love": "You can transfer tens of thousands of yuan via WeChat. No matter how rich you are, you are not a freeloader. You can just buy a brand new one from JD.com and hire someone to install it at your door."
Customized high-end phones, why do some people avoid platforms and manufacturers?
Prefer to trust individuals?
In this regard, a senior industry insider and computer enthusiast told reporters that high-end computers actually have so many functions. The assembly can be personalized, and each component can be matched with a complete set of colors. The ultimate stacking, better picture quality, sound effects, smoothness, etc., optimized performance, and good-looking appearance. "
"In the final analysis, high-end players are not short of money and are willing to pay for better stability, higher appearance, and better emotional value."
"As for mass-produced computer manufacturers, in addition to providing a normal CPU, other accessories, including motherboards, graphics cards, memory, and cooling, are hard to describe. In terms of personalization and materials, they are still far behind."
"As for skipping private transfers on the platform, I don't quite understand. These big UP owners and MOD owners (customized modifiers) can often buy things that are not available on the market through various channels. This may be why high-end players choose to trust them. Some better graphics motherboards are priced but not available in the market. There is a total domestic sales limit of 90 pieces, so you can't get them at all."
There is a gray area of "trust transactions" in the high-end customized installation industry, and transactions need to be vigilant
Lawyer Li Dingsheng of Zhejiang West Lake Law Firm believes that the incident of the UP installer XCMOD studio running away with money at Bilibili exposed the gray area of "trust transactions" in the high-end customized installation industry. The UP owner took advantage of the trust of fans, broke away from platform supervision, and did not engage in secured transactions. Instead, he traded privately with fans and collected payments personally. The exposed transaction risks are worthy of vigilance.
It is still difficult to determine whether the UP owner’s behavior is a criminal offense or a civil breach of contract.
How can consumers who have been implicated in the payment safeguard their rights?
Lawyer Li suggested: "For fans who have been deceived, you can collect evidence and give priority to jointly reporting the case to the public security organs. Once a criminal case is filed, the public security organs have the right to freeze the assets in the name of the UP owner and pursue him online. Since the UP owner has gone abroad to hide his debts, it is more difficult to pursue him outside the territory."
"If the public security organs review and determine that it does not constitute criminal fraud, these fan customers can save core evidence such as chat records and transfer vouchers with the UP owner, and file a civil lawsuit against the UP owner, claiming the return of the payment and compensation for losses. After the court judgment, the court will execute the assets (if any) in the name of the UP owner, and take enforcement measures such as restricting entry and exit. In addition, if the Bilibili platform has loopholes or faults in reviewing the UP owner's qualifications and supervision, customers can also consider claiming certain fault liability from the Bilibili platform."