"Given 'Fake Money' in Response to Pressure from Prospective In-Laws to Provide an Apartment, Police Investigate"

Fiancee Reports "Boyfriend Was Scammed" to Police
Man Released After Receiving Reprimand and Education from Police

A Chinese man preparing for marriage was caught by the police after giving his fianc?e counterfeit money worth 700,000 yuan (about 130 million KRW) to meet the demands of his prospective in-laws to prepare an apartment.

According to a report by the Hong Kong South China Morning Post (SCMP) on the 4th, citing local media, the incident occurred on the 11th of last month in Gucheng County, Shangyang City, Hubei Province.

A view of the apartment complex from below.
[Photo by Asia Economy DB]

A woman discovered the money was fake while trying to deposit a bag full of cash at a bank. She thought her boyfriend had been scammed while preparing the marriage funds and reported it to the police.

Upon investigating the bag, the police found that only the top bundle contained real bills, while the rest were stacks of coupons used by bank employees for money counting training.

The man admitted during the police investigation, "My prospective in-laws pressured my girlfriend to buy an apartment, so I resorted to deception," and added, "I bought the coupons online."

In China, there is a custom where the groom gives a sort of dowry to the bride’s side when getting married. The 'Chaili' is a long-standing tradition in China, usually involving amounts between 100,000 to 200,000 yuan (about 18.54 million to 37 million KRW), but it can sometimes exceed 1 million yuan (about 185.37 million KRW).

According to Chinese criminal law, intentionally possessing or using counterfeit currency can result in imprisonment of over 10 years and a fine of up to 500,000 yuan (about 95 million KRW). However, since coupons are not classified as counterfeit currency, the man was released after receiving a warning and education from the police.

Chinese netizens criticized the man’s absurd behavior, saying, "If you didn’t have money, you should have been honest instead of resorting to deception," but some blamed the woman’s parents, saying, "They demanded an apartment too excessively under the pretext of marriage."