Believing in her “boyfriend,” whom she met online, a woman living in Bao’an District recently lost more than 424,000 yuan (US$61,280) by investing in crude oil and precious metals.

    Liao is an unmarried woman in her late 30s. She applied to become a VIP member of an online dating website a few months ago in the hopes of finding the right partner to marry.

    Liao thought that the website would recommend some male members with reliable information if she paid for the more expensive membership, but it turned out that the man recommended by the website was actually a swindler.

    The man approached Liao and friended her on Wechat. “He sent text messages to me every morning, noon and evening to show he cared about me, which touched me very much,” said Liao. After chatting for a few weeks, Liao began to consider the man as her boyfriend.

    The man told Liao that he was in the business of trading imported ceramic tiles and earned a lot of money. The woman believed what he told her. Gradually, Liao began to share her personal information and told the man about her experience investing the stocks.

    Meanwhile, the man posted photos of exercising at a gym, traveling abroad and purchasing luxury products on his Wechat Moments. Liao began to believe that she had found a wealthy boyfriend. It was then that the man persuaded her to invest in crude oil, which could help her earn much more than investing in the stock market.

    Although Liao had become suspicious of the man during the investment, what the man said comforted and convinced her.

    Within only three months, Liao had invested 424,000 yuan of her savings. She eventually decided to report her case to the police in August last year because she noticed that she continued losing money in the trades, while the man kept telling her to invest more.

    Officers at Xinqiao Police Station are investigating the case.

    (Zhang Qian)