China woman fakes name, pregnancy, & even family members to trick man into marrying her & giving her dowry

A woman in China has been found guilty of fraud and sentenced to four and a half years' jail following a marriage scam where she lied to her husband about all her personal details.

This includes her name, age, pregnancy and even her family, who were reportedly hired actors, HK01 reported, citing a Chinese news site.

Her case also included charges of bigamy when it was heard in court, as she was found to have had a daughter with another man whom she married in 2015.

However, the woman had not divorced her first husband during her second marriage in May 2024.

Dating

Before this, her second husband, a 26-year-old man from Suizhou, Hubei province, China, met the woman in May 2022 and they began dating via a video platform, HK01 reported, adding that they had sex after meeting in person.

According to the indictment, the woman was born in 1989 but claimed to have been born in 1994 and hired various actors to play her family members.

In addition, the couple only met every one or two months.

Faked miscarriage

Sin Chew Daily reported that in September 2022, the woman pretended to be pregnant and purchased a fake ultrasound record to gain the man's trust.

She also fabricated stories about her father being a high-ranking official and her family being wealthy.

In January 2023, the woman told her partner that she had "miscarried" and provided false hospital records.

Married

Following this, the couple was set to get married in May 2024.

After holding a wedding banquet in Suizhou, they planned to hold another banquet at the woman's family home in Qingdao.

The woman took home RMB148,000 (S$27,122) in cash as a wedding gift and arranged for her husband to stay in a Qingdao villa that she claimed was her own.

Though her husband was hoping to meet his in-laws and hold a wedding ceremony as soon as possible, she claimed it was inconvenient for them to meet due to family conflicts.

Despite his doubts, the man began preparing to register their marriage after the woman gave him a bank slip showing RMB460,000 (S$84,301), 100g of gold bars and the keys to a Mercedes-Benz.

Disappeared, discovered scam

The couple then returned to Suizhou in late May 2024, but the woman threw a tantrum and wanted to return to Qingdao.

According to the indictment, the man agreed to let the woman return on the condition that the betrothal gifts be returned.

He later received a call from his "mother-in-law" saying that the woman should bring the betrothal gifts home and that the car, bank statements, and gold bars should be left as collateral.

The woman then disappeared without a trace after this phone call.

HK01 reported that after bringing the RMB148,000 (S$27,122) back to Qingdao, the woman deposited RMB106,400 (S$19,499) into a bank and used the remaining cash for expenses.

Police report

After realising he could have been scammed, the man checked the license plate number and discovered the car was rented from a car rental company.

He also found that the bank deposit slips were forged and the gold bars were fake. He promptly reported the incident to the police.

In June 2024, the man went to Qingdao to check the woman's household registration information but found "no such person".

On Jun. 11, 2024, the man and his family went to meet the woman in Wuhan, demanding that she return the betrothal gifts and other expenses.

The woman returned RMB78,700 (S$14,422).

Penalties

In light of this incident, public security authorities opened a case on Oct. 19, 2024, to investigate the woman for suspected bigamy, and she was arrested by the police in Qingdao.

On May. 20, 2025, the public security authorities opened a case for investigation against the woman on suspicion of fraud.

Investigations found that on Aug. 19, 2015, the woman and another man registered their marriage and had a daughter.

From 2020 to 2021, the woman and her first husband had marital discord due to family conflicts, which led them to have little contact.

In addition, the woman's first husband raised their daughter, and the two did not divorce.

On Nov. 17, 2025, the woman's case, involving charges of bigamy and fraud, was heard in a Suizhou district court, where the man participated in the trial as a victim and was surprised by the woman's attitude in court.

"She was arrogant and disrespectful in court," said the man.

"She said that I did not need compensation or to obtain forgiveness."

The indictment statement indicated that, in addition to the woman, the people who impersonated her parents and brother also participated in the fraud and should be severely punished by law.

Top photo via HK01