Woman in China Hires Actors as Family, Scams Man Out of $65,000

A married woman in China has been detained for scamming a man by hiring actors to pose as her family. She extorted 480,000 yuan (US$65,000) from the victim, identified as Xin, over two years.

The woman, surnamed Zhou, introduced herself as "Xiaoyu" and contacted Xin in August 2022 through a wedding advertisement. A month later, she professed her love and began discussing marriage. Zhou demanded a 'bride price' of 188,000 yuan (US$26,000), citing local customs, and later requested additional funds for her mother’s surgery and gifts for her sister.

Avoiding Meetings

Zhou consistently avoided meeting Xin, claiming illness and other excuses. To maintain the lie, she sent photos and spoke with him on the phone. In January 2023, Xin visited her supposed home with gifts worth 10,000 yuan, but Zhou was "too ill" to meet him.

In April, Zhou finally agreed to meet Xin with her "family," who were actors she had hired. During the meeting, Xin noticed she looked different from her photos, which she blamed on photo editing.

The Truth Revealed

While planning the wedding in May, Xin found suspicious messages on Zhou’s phone, revealing her plans to “act according to the script.” Confronted, Zhou denied the accusations. Further investigation revealed that Zhou was married, unemployed, and had a child. She had orchestrated the entire scam to support her family.

Police detained Zhou in November after Xin uncovered the truth. Over two years, she had convinced him to send 480,000 yuan (US$65,000). Authorities confirmed that Zhou had hired actors to impersonate herself and her family throughout the scam.