Cellmate date: Wealthy ex-Chinese convict splashes out US$201,000 on ‘phantom’ girlfriend who turns out to be former prison buddy


On release from jail, fraudster cellmate dupes fellow prisoner he befriended behind bars into handing over cash to non-existent ‘girlfriend’. Reports of bizarre scam catch the eye of tens of millions of people on mainland social media. — SCMP

A former Chinese convict who splashed out 1.38mil yuan (RM889,292 or US$201,000) on an online girlfriend – who declined to meet him in person – after his release from prison was shocked to find that “she” was his former cellmate.

Reports of the bizarre scam, which took place in Xiangtan County in China’s southern province of Hunan, has sparked the interest of millions on mainland social media.

The Star Christmas Special Promo: Save 35% OFF Yearly. T&C applies.

Monthly Plan

RM 13.90/month

Best Value

Annual Plan

RM 12.33/month

RM 8.02/month

Billed as RM 96.20 for the 1st year, RM 148 thereafter.

Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel for breaking news alerts and key updates!
Scam , romance scam

Next In Tech News

Exclusive-Google works to erode Nvidia's software advantage with Meta's help
Brazil to get satellite internet from Chinese rival to Starlink in 2026
US gaming platform Roblox pledges changes to get Russian ban lifted
Oracle's $10 billion Michigan data center in limbo after Blue Owl funding talks stall, FT reports
Coursera to buy Udemy, creating $2.5 billion firm to target AI training
Factbox-By the numbers: How the Netflix and Paramount bids for Warner Bros stack up
Warner Bros Discovery board rejects rival bid from Paramount
Analysis-Qatar bets on cheap power to catch up in Gulf AI race
Analysis-Crypto investors show caution, shift to new strategies after crash
OpenAI’s ChatGPT updated to�make images better and faster

Others Also Read