Scammed by his best friend's wife who posed as his online girlfriend
The worst part is that he genuinely fell for her, and there may be a possibility that his friend knew about it.
If you're in the world of dating, then you will know that it is a ruthless place for many.
And with the introduction into online dating, it has become somewhat more difficult to fish out the good catches from the bad.
But as they say, experience is the best teacher in life, and that's what happened with this Chinese man.
"Mr. Zhou, a middle-aged man from Xuchang, China’s Henan province, had been trying to raise money to start a family by growing watermelons in Myanmar." (Oddity Central)
Even though his business kept him away from home, Mr. Zhou still kept in touch with his good friend, Xiao Li, who still resided in China.
He expressed to Xiao Li that his business was going well and he was ready to meet a woman.
"Xiao Li told him that his wife had a girlfriend who was also single and that she could introduce them. Because Zhou was still abroad tending to his fruit business, online dating was the only viable option. The two hit it off and agreed to continue their long-distance relationship until Zhou returned to China." (Oddity Central)
After some time, the girlfriend told Mr. Zhou that her brother had been in an accident and she needed some money. Specifically, she needed 5,000 yuan (R13,000). Mr. Zhou gave her the money.
Not long after that, she asked for more money as she claimed her father was ill. In a matter of a year, he gave her 80,000 yuan (R208,000).
Thinking nothing of it, of course, but things got real when he decided it was time to come home and meet her.
It seems that Xiao Li had made a discovery that his dear friend's girlfriend was actually his wife.
MORE FROM JACARANDA FM
“You seem to have been cheated, your girlfriend is my wife!” Xiao Li said over the phone, adding that his wife had left him without a word after he discovered evidence of her impersonation on her Douyin (TikTok) account." (Oddity Central)
Mr. Zhou wanted to contact the authorities but his friend pleaded with him not to. He said he would pay back the money to him in installments.
But after failing to do so, Mr. Zhou went to the authorities with the case. Whether or not Xiao Li was involved in the scam is unknown, nor was there any update as to whether authorities had apprehended the wife/girlfriend.
A clear reason as to why you shouldn't always trust what you think you know about someone.
Image Courtesy of Pexels