A 60-year-old business owner in Wuxi has fallen victim to a fraud scheme that led to the downfall of his business. Jiang, the owner of a successful business, had his life turned upside down when he met Zhou, a woman addicted to gambling.
Zhou, 26 years old at the time, had accumulated hundreds of thousands of yuan in gambling debts during her college years. After graduation, she met Jiang online and soon developed a romantic relationship with him. She moved to Wuxi to live with Jiang, with him covering all her expenses. However, Zhou’s extravagant lifestyle, including frequent visits to bars and spending hundreds of thousands of yuan in a single night, raised concerns.
Unknown to Jiang, Zhou was also involved with a male model she met at a bar. Zhou’s addiction to gambling and drinking continued as she secretly maintained a relationship with the model. To fund her gambling debts and support her lavish lifestyle, Zhou repeatedly asked Jiang for money. Shockingly, Jiang ended up paying over 4.5 million yuan for Zhou’s expenses in less than a year.
When Jiang discovered Zhou’s relationship with the male model, he demanded an IOU worth more than 4 million yuan. Zhou eventually left Wuxi and returned to her hometown in Hunan, where she got married and had children. Despite her new life, she continued her romantic relationship with Jiang to sustain her extravagant lifestyle.
Prosecutors have revealed that Jiang transferred approximately 20 million yuan to Zhou during their relationship. The money was used for Zhou’s weddings, purchasing luxury cars, gambling, and general living expenses.
As Zhou’s high consumption drained Jiang’s resources, his company faced a financial crisis. In desperate need of loans, Zhou capitalized on the opportunity and deceived Jiang by fabricating loan and investment projects. Jiang continued to provide money under the guise of handling fees, deposits, and liquidated damages. This further exacerbated the financial distress faced by Jiang’s enterprise, causing it to collapse. Consequently, Jiang was listed as a dishonest person.
Realizing he had been deceived, Jiang reported the fraud to the police. Zhou was subsequently arrested, but all the money she had fraudulently obtained had already been squandered. The Liangxi District People’s Procuratorate of Wuxi City is now prosecuting Zhou on suspicion of fraud.
This unfortunate incident serves as a reminder to exercise caution when entangled in complex relationships and to be wary of individuals with excessive financial demands. Jiang’s story highlights the importance of staying vigilant to protect personal and business finances.
(“Zero Distance” reporter/Sun Yan)