CHINA: An outrageous scam has rocked mainland social media, as a Shanghai woman staged a fake wedding to dupe her relatives out of 12 million yuan (US$1.6 million) with promises of discounted properties. The woman, identified only as Meng, used a fabricated story to lure her family into her elaborate scheme, which began after her real estate agency collapsed in 2014.
According to a recent South China Morning Post report, Meng’s plan took root when her business fell. She sought to recoup her losses by scamming her relatives. In a desperate bid to gain their trust, she convinced a random man she met while hitchhiking to pretend to be her wealthy husband. The man, known only by his surname, Jiang, agreed to play the role, even holding a wedding ceremony using a false identity.
Meng told her relatives that Jiang was a high-powered businessman with real estate connections. She claimed he had access to discounted properties and promised them exclusive deals on new homes at a fraction of the cost. To make her scheme seem more believable, Meng bought a small flat worth one million yuan (US$137,000) and sold it to her cousin for just half the price. She persuaded him to tell others that the steep discount was due to her new husband’s “connections.”
Meng’s con continued with an elaborate web of lies. She took her relatives to showrooms of new residential compounds. She told them she could secure a further price reduction of 5,000 yuan (US$700) per square meter, making the properties seem even more affordable. At least five relatives were duped, some of whom sold their homes to take advantage of the supposed “deal.”
Over the years, Meng stalled on delivering the promised properties, claiming it took time to secure the discounted prices. By 2018 and 2019, she had rented apartments for the victims and falsely claimed they were the properties they had bought. She also refused to provide ownership certificates, saying it was “temporarily impossible” to obtain them for the discounted properties.
The scam came to light when one of the victims began to suspect something was wrong and checked with the actual property developer, only to learn that the flat they believed they owned was never theirs. Another victim, Meng’s cousin, had spent over 100,000 yuan (US$14,000) on decorating and furnishing a rented flat, unaware that it wasn’t theirs.
The court delivered justice to Meng, sentencing her to 12 years and six months for contract fraud. Her accomplice, the man who played her fake husband, received six years for his role in signing house-leasing contracts. Meng’s cousin, who had lied to other relatives, was sentenced to five years in prison for his involvement.
This case has stunned many in China, as it highlights the lengths to which some individuals will go to exploit the trust of their loved ones for personal gain.
Featured image by freepik (for illustration purposes only)