By South China Morning Post | Created at 2024-11-27 10:11:46 | Updated at 2024-11-27 12:34:38
2 hours ago
A group of matchmaking companies in southwestern China has come under police scrutiny for defrauding desperate single men out of significant sums of money, while some women posed as potential brides in the scam.
Some of these women earned as much as 300,000 yuan (US$42,000) within months.
According to a statement from a court in Guiyang, Guizhou province, released in September, a police station in the Huaguoyuan area has received 180 reports of matchmaking fraud since March last year.
During this period, the court has resolved 50 disputes involving substantial matchmaking fees, as reported by Red Star News.
Before the authorities initiated their crackdown, many of these matchmaking agencies rented upscale office spaces in Huaguoyuan to enhance client trust.
Some staff actively sought out single men from small and remote cities across the country, while others focused on recruiting single women, most of whom were divorced and in debt, persuading them to participate in the scam to deceive male customers.
