A love-struck man from Tianjin lost a considerable sum of money in a bizarre ritual for a cunning online romance scam, according to the South China Morning Post. The victim, surnamed Wang, was found by police to have been misled by a false story involving an ex-husband who was dead and a superstitious “marriage bed burning” ceremony.
Wang’s online romance with Li, a woman who portrayed herself as wealthy and single and who owns multiple properties. Li was ready for a new married life, but she asked for a rather bizarre favour-Wang was to perform a ‘marriage bed burning’ ritual to appease the spirit of her former husband-a necessary step, she claimed, to ensure a prosperous marriage.
According to SCMP, Wang was told all Li’s properties were inherited from her ex, and the ritual would be a “thank you gesture” for him, the mainland media outlet Hongxing News reported on October 31. She told Wang he needed to spend 100,000 yuan (Rs 11,81,858) on the ritual to show his sincerity. She required Wang to transfer her the money without showing up at the ritual because it would bring bad luck to him.
After Wang sent over the money, Li disappeared, and Wang was left heartbroken and penniless.
This incident highlights the increasing sophistication of online scams and the vulnerability of those seeking love and companionship in the virtual world. Though ancient superstitions-even primitive rituals-are the main traditions in some parts of China, they are, in fact, unwittingly used by fraudsters to manipulate their victims.
The more one seeks his/her perfect match online, the more cautious that individual needs to be. Experts say that when meeting acquaintances from the Internet, identities must be verified. Personal data must not be communicated unless absolutely necessary, and any requests for money or other such transactions must be suspect.
