A 26-year-old Chinese man, Shen Ming (alias), fell victim to what has been described as a “marriage scam of the century.”
In May last year, Shen married his girlfriend Yin Xia (alias) and paid a bride price of 148,000 RMB (≈ USD 20,500). In return, Yin claimed to bring a generous dowry, including a 460,000 RMB (≈ USD 64,000) bank deposit slip, 100 grams of gold bars, and a Mercedes-Benz.
Only after the wedding did Shen discover that all the dowry items were fake. Yin’s name and age were fabricated, the Mercedes-Benz was rented, and even her “parents” were actually hired actors.
According to reports from Chinese media and the prosecutor’s indictment, Shen and Yin met in 2022 through a short-video platform and developed a romantic relationship.
After meeting offline, they engaged in a sexual relationship. In September 2022, Yin falsely claimed she was pregnant and used a fake ultrasound report to gain Shen’s trust. She also fabricated a background story, claiming her father was a high-ranking official and that her family was wealthy.
In May 2024, the couple married due to the alleged pregnancy and held a wedding banquet in Shen’s hometown of Suizhou. They then planned to travel to Qingdao to hold another banquet with Yin’s family. Yin took the 148,000 RMB (≈ USD 20,500) in cash and arranged for Shen to stay in a so-called “family-owned villa” in Qingdao. Shen repeatedly asked to meet his in-laws, but Yin claimed family conflicts made it inconvenient.
A few days later, Yin handed Shen the 460,000 RMB bank deposit slip, 100 grams of “gold bars”, and the Mercedes-Benz keys, easing his suspicions and prompting him to prepare for marriage registration.
However, after returning to Qingdao, Yin deposited 106,400 RMB (≈ USD 14,700) into a bank account and used the remaining cash for daily expenses. The bank deposit slip and gold bars she gave Shen were later found to have been purchased online. Shen eventually realized that the woman’s entire “family background” was fabricated.
Later in May, the couple returned to Suizhou, but Yin soon demanded to go back to Qingdao. Shen agreed on the condition that the bride price be returned. He then received a call from a woman claiming to be his “mother-in-law,” saying Yin would bring the bride price home, while the car, bank slip, and gold bars would be kept as collateral.
After that call, Yin disappeared.
Police investigations revealed that Yin had already married another man in 2015 and had a daughter. Although separated, the couple had never divorced, constituting bigamy. Chinese police opened a bigamy investigation in October 2024, followed by a fraud investigation in May 2025.
On November 17, Yin’s case was heard in the first trial at the Zengdu District Court in Suizhou. In court, she stated she would not return the stolen money and did not need Shen’s forgiveness, displaying an arrogant attitude that reportedly left the victim “laughing in anger.”
Shen told the media that their relationship was primarily online, with in-person meetings only once every one to two months. Yin never disclosed her real age (she was actually born in 1989) and repeatedly used hired actors to pose as her parents and brother.
Shen emphasized that not only Yin, but also those who helped impersonate her family members, should be held legally accountable.
