‘Desperate’ single men trapped for money in ‘flash’ marriages, brides vanish after wedding | Trending

Police have busted a group of matchmaking companies in China who have been defrauding desperate single men through women posing as potential brides. Some of these women earned as much as ₹35 lakh (300,000 yuan) within months through these scam marriages. Soon after the wedding, the brides flee, vanish, or pressure the men into divorce. (Representational) According to South China Morning Post, a police station in the Huaguoyuan area received 180 reports of matchmaking fraud in one year. The matchmaking companies find single men from small cities across the country and recruited single women, most of whom were divorced and in debt, persuading them to be part of the scam to earn money. Men tricked out of moneyThe women were introduced to the men as brides and when they agreed to marry, they were asked to sign contracts with the agency and pay hundreds of thousands of yuan as a price for their bride. However, soon after the wedding, the brides would often flee, vanish, or pressure the men into divorce through various means, earning them the name “flash weddings”. (Also read: Man suspects wife of cheating over ‘too pretty’ daughter; DNA test reveals truth) ‘Bride’ earns ₹35 lakh in 3 monthsOne woman, reportedly earned 300,000 yuan ( ₹35 lakh) engaging in several flash marriages in three months. She regered for marriage with a client in December last year, only to file for divorce shortly after over domestic violence charges. She did not return the bride price and was awarded part of the man’s property, including a car he had bought for her. After the divorce, the woman continued to go on more dates to find a new husband. One of her victims told local media that he meet her through an agency and paid a cash gift of 118,000 yuan to her family. Two months after their wedding, she began leaving town frequently and pressured him to buy her a home and a car. When she vanished, he sought a refund from the agency but found that the company had shut down. (Also read: Cheating husband sues wife for house after mother-in-law died watching them fight) A former customer service representative at one of the fake agencies revealed that there was no shortage of male customers to scam. “We do not worry about the source of male customers at all. There are many across the country. We can select a male customer for blind dates from 40 to 50 candidates every day,” he said.