A little warning for the ladies: There’s a new scam abroad where they’ll marry you to a stranger without your knowledge and consent. If you think that’s crazy, well, it is.
The South China Morning Post reported that a 21-year-old woman participated in a “mock” wedding ceremony last May at a local government office in Fuzhou, Fujian province in Mainland China. This was to complete her training to become a wedding planner. She said she saw the job posting on Facebook, claiming that one can make 14,000 HKD monthly as a makeup artist even without experience, but the scammers told her she can earn more as a planner.
According to the victim, she was required to play the role of a bride in the ceremony and she had to sign a marriage certificate with a stranger around the same age as her. She was told that the certificate would be void after. Although she didn’t lose any money from the predicament, the woman admitted, “My biggest loss was having a marriage record.”
The Hong Kong Federation Trade Unions is currently investigating the incident. The scammers’ motives are still unclear, but it seems that they’re taking advantage of a law that allows mainland Chinese citizens to move to Hong Kong if they’re a resident there.
“The 21-year-old lady was taken advantage of while she knew nothing about the circumstances,” said Tong Kamgyiu, director of FTU’s Rights and Benefits Committee.
We hope this woman and the other victims will get ample justice from this scam. This is also a reminder for others to not agree to such activities when you’re applying for a job abroad.
[The Cut and South China Morning Post]
Photo courtesy of Unsplash
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