Chinese teacher scammed out of $548,000 believes scammer will still marry her
By Bryan Ke
A Chinese teacher reportedly insisted to police that the scammer who took off with her money amounting to hundreds of thousands of dollars would still marry her despite authorities’ efforts to dissuade the victim multiple times.
What happened: The incident started in November 2022 when the victim, identified as a 38-year-old teacher with the surname Yuan, began transferring money to a man she met online, according to local media.
He allegedly promised her that she would make a fortune through the money sent, which would be invested in Bitcoin. Yuan described the man in the photos and videos the perpetrator posted online as a handsome, wealthy and kindhearted person who loved animals.
Losing money: Yuan lost a total amount of 4 million yuan ($548,000) to the scam that lasted until March. Police believe Yuan was a victim of “sha zhu pan,” loosely translated to “pig butchering” in English. Victims of the popular and complex scams are often baited into eventual relationships, usually romantic or business, that lead to victims handing over their money to the scammers.
Police involvement: Authorities were eventually alerted after noticing unusual activity in Yuan’s bank account. They approached her multiple times to warn her about becoming a victim of a love scam, but she insisted that she was not.
Yuan reportedly even lied to the police on several occasions, including a time when she told them she did not transfer 640,000 yuan ($87,000) to the scammer despite her bank records showing the transaction. She also told them that she was buying discounted luxury bags from the perpetrator during another visit from the authorities.
Causing her more distress: During the police’s ninth visit on Jan. 9, Yuan reportedly told them that the “life pressure” they put on her was “bigger than that of being scammed.”
She also told them that she would not be running to them crying in the end, despite what officers told her about their experience with other victims.
Realization and denial: Yuan eventually suspected the man was a con artist when another woman informed her that the same man had cheated on her and scammed her.
Yuan called the police on March 9, and despite the new information, she was still in disbelief. Breaking down in tears, Yuan told the police during their 12th meeting, “I don’t believe it. He will marry me.”
Speaking to local media, a Yangpu District officer who was part of the anti-scam team said Yuan had “invested so much money and emotion in it that she would rather believe the police were scammers.”
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