A homeless man in Shanghai managed to live a luxury lifestyle for 10 days by pretending to be a wealthy businessman — hiring women for “high-paying part-time jobs” and using their money to cover his meals, hotels, entertainment, and even new clothes and a smartphone.
The man, identified as 36-year-old Chen, posed as a nightclub owner and targeted women by posting fake high-paying companionship or guide jobs in online chat groups. Believing he was rich, the women followed him around upscale restaurants, entertainment venues, and hotels — and paid for everything.
The scam came to light when a woman using the alias Liu Qian contacted police in Shanghai’s Putuo District, saying she had been tricked by Chen.
Liu said she acted as a guide for Chen for a day, after he promised to pay her 3,500 yuan. The next day, Chen visited her home carrying a black plastic bag full of money — or so she thought.
He showed her what looked like 50,000–60,000 yuan in cash and insisted the money be placed under her bed “for feng shui reasons.” In reality, almost all of the bills were training notes used by bank tellers for practice, with only a few real bills placed at the top and bottom to make the stack look authentic.
Liu planned to use some of the cash to pay her rent, but when Chen stepped outside “to take a call,” she checked the bag and discovered the truth.
Police investigations later revealed that Chen repeated this pattern with five women over just 10 days.
Each time:
- He met a new woman recruited from chat groups
- Flashed stacks of “cash” to build trust
- Promised high-paying work
- Then had the women pay for meals, drinks, hotels, taxis, and other expenses
Chen also used a secondary account to pose as an agent, advertising fake high-paying jobs to lure in more victims.
He even purchased all his clothes and the latest smartphone using the money he received from the women.
Whenever he failed to find a new victim quickly, Chen — who had no real home — slept on public park benches until he found another target.
Chen was eventually arrested on charges of fraud, and authorities confirmed he had no wealth at all.
