A 21-year-old woman from Hong Kong became a victim of an apparent scam after marrying a complete stranger from mainland China. The woman, who wants to keep her identity private, recalls her experience as to why she ended up being duped.
According to the South China Morning Post, the woman initially applied as a make-up artist apprenticeship in May. However, she was later on convinced to switch to wedding planning. She was then required to play the role of a bride and sign a marriage certificate, and no money was involved.
"My biggest loss was having a marriage record," the victim said.
The job for becoming a make-up artist was posted on Facebook, offering HK$14,000 (US$1,800) as monthly salary. The woman said that the job offers free training and does not require any working experiences. But, the scammers told the victim that a wedding planner earns a higher salary depending on the commission.
The woman became interested in wedding planning and took the free training course back in June. After a week, she was asked to pass a wedding planning exam in Fuzhou, Fujian province, wherein it includes a "mock marriage" to a man of a similar age.
The woman and her "husband" signed a document at a local government office and were officially married. The scammers told the victim that there is nothing to worry about as they knew the mayor.
"They said they would void [the marriage record] afterwards," she said.
When she returned to Hong Kong, her friend convinced her she was scammed. After that, the woman asked help from the Hong Kong Federation of Trade Unions (FTU) after police in the city seemed reluctant in handling the case.
The former high school teacher of the woman also helped her to gather evidence on the mainland. They returned the government building in Fuzhou wherein they discovered the wedding document the victim signed and another from a Hong Kong law firm, falsely signed in her name declaring she was single.
According to Tong Kang-yiu, the director of the FTU's rights and benefits committee, the woman was just one of the many victims of the scammers. But, he refused to speculate on whether the motive for the scam was to let the victim's husband settle in Hong Kong.
"We hope that by sharing this case, those who haven't realized they were scammed will be aware," Tong said.
The residents of the mainland with a spouse in Hong Kong can apply for a one-way permit to settle in the city. The issuance of permits is capped at 150 per day.
Meanwhile, Sung Siu-kin, the vice-director of the Hong Kong Beauty and Fitness Professionals General Union, noted that youngsters should be familiarized with the backgrounds of a company when they are applying for jobs.
Last Friday, three ringleaders of a syndicate that lured young Hongkongers into sham marriages were found guilty of fraud in the District Court. The three have been convicted of conspiracy to defraud and will be sentenced next month.
