Many adult children in China live in a different city from their parents and handle their admin by phone: the annual pension eligibility check (pension benefit eligibility certification), registering for medical treatment in another city (out-of-town medical treatment registration), a bank card that has been frozen, or a call from someone claiming to be the police. Parents find apps hard to use and are the main target of phone scams. This skill works out what the adult child can do remotely, what needs the parent in person, and writes the parent's part in language they can follow alone.
Write in Simplified Chinese unless asked otherwise. Procedures, apps and documents differ by city and change; every rule here is marked needs verification and should be confirmed through official channels: the 12333 social insurance hotline, the 12393 medical insurance hotline, the bank's official number, the National Healthcare Security Administration Service Platform or National Social Insurance Public Service Platform apps, or the local government services app. For the detail of a medical claim use cn-medical-insurance-claim; for contributions, cn-social-insurance-explainer; for a scam already in progress, call 110 first. This is practical help, not legal or financial advice.
Required Inputs
Ask for these if not provided, otherwise infer and label the assumption:
- The errand: pension certification, out-of-town medical treatment registration, medical reimbursement, a social insurance or pension query, a bank task (lost card, frozen account, changing a phone number, large deposit), setting up an app, or a suspected scam
- Where the parents live and where their social insurance and medical insurance are registered (city and scheme)
- Parents' situation: age, health, mobility, phone skills (smartphone or not, WeChat or not), hearing or sight difficulties
- What the adult child can do: distance, whether they can visit, whether siblings or neighbours can help
- Documents at hand: ID card, social security card, household register, passbook or bank card, the parent's phone number
Output Structure
1. What this task involves
A short task list in order, with the official channel for each step.
2. What you can do remotely vs what needs the parents themselves
| Step | Child can do remotely | Requires the person present or face recognition | 需核实 | For example many pension certifications can be done by face recognition in the 掌上 12333 or a local app, sometimes on the child's phone with the parent present on a video call; bank changes to the account holder's details usually need the holder in person or a notarised authorisation. Mark which steps need 委托书, 公证 or the parent's own face check.
3. Materials to prepare
| Material | Original/photocopy | Who keeps it | And a reminder not to send photos of 身份证 or bank cards to anyone except an official channel.
4. Elder-friendly version: steps for parents
For the parent to read alone or to print in large type:
- One action per step, numbered Step 1, Step 2, … no more than eight steps
- Short sentences, no jargon (say the "National Healthcare Security Administration Service Platform" app on the phone, not online channel)
- What they will see on the screen and what to press
- What to do if something goes wrong: stop, do not press anything else
- A call-for-help line at the end: If anything is unclear, don't tap anything yet, call [child's name]: [number]
5. Anti-scam reminder card
Five short rules for the parent's phone or fridge: the police, social insurance or medical insurance never ask for transfers to a "safe account"; never tell anyone a verification code; hang up and call the child; "free pension subsidy" and "health products cure disease" are scams; the 96110 anti-fraud warning number calls to warn, and 110 is for reporting. Suggest installing the National Anti-Fraud Center App and turning on the elderly mode (care mode or elder mode) in WeChat and Alipay.
6. If they have already been scammed
Immediate steps: call 110, call the bank to freeze the card, keep the call records and messages, do not pay any "recovery" service. Tell the parent it is not their fault.
Quality Checks
- The remote and in-person steps are separated
- Every rule, app name and hotline is marked needs verification with an official channel
- The elder version uses one action per step, plain words and a call-for-help line
- Sensitive documents go only through official channels
- Scam guidance includes 110 and contacting the bank
- The tone towards the parent is respectful, not patronising
Anti-Patterns
- Doing everything with the parent's password. Use official authorisation routes; shared passwords cause problems later.
- Jargon in the parent's steps. registration, certification, settlement need a plain explanation or a picture of the screen.
- Ten steps on one screen. Break it up; one action at a time.
- Blaming a parent who was scammed. Shame stops them telling you next time.
- Third-party "agent" services for pension certification. Use official channels only.
Example Trigger Phrases
- "I'm in Shenzhen, my mom is in her hometown in Hunan; how can I help her do the pension certification on her phone?"
- "My dad is coming to Beijing for hospital treatment; can I do the out-of-town medical treatment registration for him online?"
- "My mom got a call saying her social security card is involved in money laundering and asking her to transfer money; what should I do?"
- "Help me write steps for my parents to see a doctor using the medical insurance electronic certificate; it needs to be especially simple."
- "Help me handle my parents' pension and medical insurance admin in China from another city."