“碰瓷者”成笑柄

The scam may be as old as the automobile itself: A fraudster throws himself in front of a vehicle and demands that the driver pay for his self-inflicted (or nonexistent) injuries. But in an age of ever-present cameras, it’s getting a lot harder to pull off.

“碰瓷”这种骗术可能和汽车一样古老：骗子自己在汽车前倒下，要求车主为自己受伤赔钱，这种伤害是自己造成的，或者根本就不存在。但在遍地摄像头的年代，这么骗钱就更难了。

There are scores of videos online that capture these scams, known in China as “pengci,” or “porcelain bumping.”

这种骗术在中国被称为“碰瓷”，网上有很多碰瓷视频。

Some attempts have resulted in broken bones or even death on the part of the “professional porcelain bumpers,” as they are known.

一些碰瓷行为导致“职业碰瓷者”骨折甚至死亡。

There is no reliable information on the scale of the fraud, and it is usually not prosecuted. For many victims, paying a bit of cash is preferable to arguing with the perpetrator.

目前还没有碰瓷规模的可靠信息，通常碰瓷者也不会被起诉。对于很多受害者来说，掏点钱比和他们争吵更省事。

The term “pengci” derives from the practice of dishonest shopkeepers placing a porcelain item in a spot where it was likely to get knocked over and broken, allowing them to claim damages from the “clumsy” customer, said David Schak, an anthropologist at Griffith University in Australia.

澳大利亚格里菲斯大学人类学家沙学汉说，“碰瓷”来源于不诚实的店主将瓷器放在很有可能撞翻打破的地方，他们以此要求“笨手笨脚”的顾客赔偿。

Videos of the modern scam started appearing on China’s internet several years ago, and the perpetrators have become the butt of jokes and a source of public entertainment.

碰瓷视频几年前开始在中国的互联网上出现，碰瓷者已成为了笑柄和公共娱乐的来源。