Married woman hires actors to play herself, fake family; cheats blind date of Rs 56 lakh

The woman contacted the victim through a wedding planning advertisement. (Representational)

A married woman in China went to extraordinary lengths to defraud her blind date, hiring actors to impersonate her parents and even herself. The intricate scam, which spanned nearly two years, saw the victim, a man named Xin from Hubei province, lose 480,000 yuan (approximately ₹56 lakh).

The police, speaking to Jimu News, revealed that Xin met a woman named Xiaoyu in August 2022 after she contacted him through a wedding planning advertisement. Xiaoyu, purportedly from Jiangsu province, professed her love within a month of their online interactions, setting the stage for an elaborate scheme disguised as a quest for marriage.

By September 2022, Xiaoyu proposed marriage to Xin, demanding a bride price of 188,000 yuan (₹21.92 lakh), a customary practice in parts of China. Eager to meet her family, Xin travelled to her hometown in January last year, bringing gifts worth 10,000 yuan (₹1.16 lakh). However, Xiaoyu claimed to be ill and avoided meeting him.

Over the next year, she continued to solicit money, citing her mother's medical needs and family obligations, while denying Xin’s repeated requests for in-person meetings. To maintain the illusion, Xiaoyu sent photographs and had phone conversations with Xin, which momentarily eased his doubts.

In total, Xin transferred over 220,000 yuan (₹25.66 lakh) to her during this period.

In April, Xiaoyu finally agreed to meet Xin along with her “parents” and “sister.” However, Xin noticed that she looked different from the photos she had shared. She dismissed his concerns, claiming the images were edited.

The deception unravelled further when Xin stumbled upon incriminating messages on Xiaoyu’s phone, where she discussed “acting according to the script” to continue the charade. When confronted, she denied involvement, saying her account had been hacked. Her supposed sister later met Xin, claimed Xiaoyu was depressed, and urged him to break off the relationship.

Determined to uncover the truth, Xin travelled to Jiangsu and called Xiaoyu. To his astonishment, her sister Xiaomiao answered the phone, revealing that she was the one he had been speaking to for two years.

Further investigations revealed that Xiaoyu was actually Zhou, an unemployed married woman with a child. Zhou had hired actors to play the roles of her family and herself. The photos she had shared with Xin were of online models.

The scam, which Zhou orchestrated to support her child, saw Xin lose an additional 40,000 yuan (₹4.66 lakh) in wedding-related expenses. She was detained in November, and the case is currently under investigation.