Advertisement
Trending in China
People & CultureTrending in China

Chinese man poses as doctor, dupes girlfriend out of US$360,000, pair often meet on hospital grounds

  • Man develops gambling addiction, uses loans to repay debts, says he was investing the money in futures investment fund

Reading Time:2 minutes
Why you can trust SCMP
A Chinese man pretended to be a doctor and tricked his girlfriend into giving him US$360,000 over a period of six years, with the couple frequently rendezvousing on hospital premises. Photo: SCMP composite/Shutterstock
Iris Jiang

A court in Shanghai charged a Chinese man with fraud for stealing 2.6 million yuan (US$360,000) from his girlfriend after he posed as a doctor at a top-tier hospital.

The man, surnamed Zhang, was sentenced to 11 years and six months in prison and fined 250,000 yuan (US$35,000) for the crime.

The court disclosed the case in May but did not specify the dates of the crime.

Advertisement

Zhang, who actually worked at a hotel, started the fraud in 2016 when he was introduced to Huang, who worked at a shopping mall.

Throughout their six-year relationship, Zhang claimed to be an obstetrician-gynaecologist at a top-tier hospital in Shanghai. He also said he graduated from a well-known medical school in China.

Advertisement

Zhang created a convincing persona as a “successful professional”, and Huang never doubted his story. They began dating about three months after the initial introduction.

Advertisement
Select Voice
Choose your listening speed
Get through articles 2x faster
1.25x
250 WPM
Slow
Average
Fast
1.25x