Shanghai housekeeping company owner, Ms. Li, fell victim to a scam by one of her employees who claimed to be the daughter of a wealthy Hong Kong tycoon. According to the employee, her billionaire mother owns over 700 properties in mainland China, including 46 in Shanghai, with total assets amounting to billions of yuan. Ms. Li was deceived of millions over 18 years and even fell seriously ill and had to be hospitalized.
In 2006, just three years after the establishment of Li’s company, her husband had to return to their hometown to take care of elderly relatives, leaving the business short-handed. That’s when 39-year-old Wang Yan applied for a job with the company.
Wang Yan, a native of Shanghai, impressed Li with her fluency in the local dialect and her ability to handle local clients. Li was pleased with her performance and welcomed her into the company.
After joining the company, Wang Yan claimed to be in financial difficulty and without a place to stay in Shanghai. Out of kindness, Li allowed Wang Yan to stay at the company.
Due to the busy nature of the business during its early stages, Li found herself working long hours and staying overnight at the office, leading to a close friendship with Wang Yan. They would often chat late into the night.
Intrigued by Wang Yan’s background, Li learned that Wang Yan’s biological mother was a wealthy Hong Kong tycoon who had finally located her after many years and wanted her daughter to inherit a substantial family fortune. However, Wang Yan’s adoptive mother, who treated her poorly, kept this information from her and had Wang Yan stand in for her to claim the inheritance.
Wang Yan claimed that her biological mother owned over 700 properties nationwide, including 46 in Shanghai and several in Hangzhou, with total assets in the billions. She shared her life story with Li daily, who became increasingly entranced, unaware of the trap being set for her.
One day, Wang Yan informed Li that the authorities had discovered the deception regarding the inheritance, leading to the freezing of the mother’s assets. Claiming to need funds to unfreeze the assets, Wang Yan started borrowing money from Li frequently, promising to repay her handsomely once the situation was resolved.
Feeling sympathetic towards Wang Yan, Li dipped into her savings to help her. Subsequently, Li received numerous calls from Wang Yan’s supposed family, expressing gratitude for Li’s care and promising significant rewards in return.
Following the constant expressions of gratitude, promises, and gifts, Li grew to trust Wang Yan completely, unwittingly draining her savings and company revenues, resorting to credit cards and loans to meet Wang Yan’s needs, accumulating debts in the millions.
In 2018, a debt collector’s visit exposed Li’s financial troubles, as her son discovered she had been borrowing money for Wang Yan. Upon her son’s insistence, Li expelled Wang Yan from the company, but Wang Yan returned shortly after.
By 2023, under the stress of mounting debts, Li fell seriously ill and was hospitalized, leading her son to realize Wang Yan’s return. Believing Wang Yan’s story about her wealthy mother, Li continued to lend her money.
After persistent advice from her son, Li recalled the overlooked contradictions and weaknesses from the past 18 years and finally reported the matter to the authorities.
Following a police investigation, it was determined that Wang Yan had fabricated her story about a Hong Kong mother and had deceived Li with the promise of high returns. Wang Yan had even posed as a relative of the supposed mother to maintain the ruse with gifts purchased using Li’s money.
Ultimately, it was discovered that Wang Yan had squandered the ill-gotten funds on personal expenses, including lavish spending on live-streaming platforms. Wang Yan admitted to her crimes.
Currently, Wang Yan, the suspect in the fraud case, has been detained on criminal charges.