‘Romance scam’: 36 men take out Rs 1.2 crore mortgages to buy apartments for ‘lover’, discover they were dating the same woman | Trending News

A woman in Shenzhen, China, allegedly deceived 36 men by pretending to be in love with them and convincing each to buy an apartment in Huizhou. According to the South China Morning Post, all the properties were located in two residential developments—Jiu Jing Tai and Hao Yi Shang Yuan.

One of the victims, Atao, shared his experience of being scammed by Liu Jia, a woman he met on a dating app in March last year. Atao fell deeply in love with her, believing she was kind, family-oriented, and considerate. The 30-year-old woman from Hunan province, who worked in Shenzhen’s e-commerce industry, seemed perfect to him. Within a month, she proposed marriage and insisted that Atao buy a home before they could meet his parents or move in together.

To make her request even more convincing, Liu offered to contribute 30,000 yuan (Rs 3.3 lakh, approximately) towards the down payment. She recommended two residential complexes in Huizhou, where developers were offering substantial subsidies of over 100,000 yuan (Rs 11 lakh) to potential buyers. Atao, believing it to be a great opportunity, purchased an apartment. However, once the deal was finalised, Liu refused to have her name added to the ownership certificate and soon distanced herself from him, eventually cutting off all contact.

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Another victim, Wang, shared a similar story. After purchasing an apartment, he noticed Liu becoming increasingly distant, claiming she was busy. Eventually, she blocked his calls and cut off all communication.

Atao later discovered that at least 36 men—all in their 30s and working in Shenzhen—had fallen for the same scheme. Each of them had dated Liu for just a month or two before being persuaded to buy a flat. Now burdened with a home loan of 4,100 yuan (Rs 50,000, approximately) alongside his rent in Shenzhen and financial responsibilities for his parents, Atao expressed his regret, saying, “I dare not have a girlfriend now,” as reported by SCMP.

In another incident, a man in China pretended to fall in love with a nanny to win back his former wife. The plan backfired as the heartbroken nanny murdered him after she found out about his fake love.