In an extraordinary case that has sent ripples through central China, a married woman orchestrated an elaborate deception to swindle a man out of hundreds of thousands of yuan. Using actors to impersonate her and her family, she spun a web of lies that lasted over two years, culminating in her arrest by local authorities.

EXPOSING THE SCAM THAT SHOOK A NATION

The Unexpected Encounter

In August 2022, Xin’s life took an unexpected turn when he received a message from a woman who introduced herself as Xiaoyu. This encounter began innocuously enough after Xin's contact details appeared in a wedding planning advertisement. Little did he know that this initial interaction would spiral into a complex scheme designed to extract substantial sums of money from him.Xin quickly became enamored with Xiaoyu, and within a month, she declared her love for him. As their relationship progressed, Xiaoyu proposed they plan their future together. However, she soon introduced a condition rooted in local tradition: Xin would need to pay a significant bride price of 188,000 yuan (US$26,000) to her family. Unbeknownst to Xin, this was only the beginning of a meticulously crafted deception.

A Web of Lies and Financial Demands

As the months passed, Xin found himself entangled in a series of requests that seemed increasingly unreasonable. In January 2023, he traveled to meet Xiaoyu’s family, bringing gifts worth 10,000 yuan. Yet, Xiaoyu claimed she was too ill to greet him personally. Over time, she continued to ask for more funds under various pretenses—her mother’s surgery, gifts for her sister—and consistently avoided meeting Xin face-to-face.Despite growing suspicions, Xin remained hopeful. Xiaoyu assuaged his concerns by sharing photographs and engaging in phone conversations. By the end of last year, Xin had transferred over 220,000 yuan to Xiaoyu. Each transfer brought him closer to what he believed was a promising future, but in reality, it was just another layer of deceit.

The Moment of Realization

The turning point came in April when Xiaoyu finally agreed to meet Xin in his city, accompanied by her parents and sister. To Xin’s shock, the woman who arrived bore little resemblance to the photographs she had shared. She explained that the images were “beautified,” but this explanation did little to quell his doubts.A month later, during a family meeting to discuss wedding arrangements, Xin made a startling discovery. While browsing Xiaoyu’s phone, he stumbled upon chat messages where she complained about his constant requests to meet and vowed to “act according to the script.” Confronted with this evidence, Xiaoyu claimed someone else was using her account. Her sister, Xiaomiao, further complicated matters by suggesting her sister was “depressed” and urging Xin to break up with her.

Unveiling the Mastermind

Determined to uncover the truth, Xin traveled to Xiaoyu’s city and called her. Instead of Xiaoyu, Xiaomiao answered the phone. It was then that Xin realized Xiaomiao was the actual person he had been communicating with for the past two years. The magnitude of the deception hit him hard.Police investigations revealed that the mastermind behind this elaborate scam was an unemployed married woman named Zhou, who even had a child. Zhou had hired actors to impersonate her and her family, all to extort money from Xin. In total, Xin had transferred 480,000 yuan (US$65,000) before Zhou’s arrest in November. The case serves as a stark reminder of the lengths some individuals will go to exploit trust and financial generosity.