Lovelorn men duped into buying homes in romance scam

A bizarre housing scam in south China's Shenzhen has come to light, where more than 30 men who believed they were in a romantic relationship were deceived into buying homes.

The scam involved at least 15 female real estate agents, who posed as girlfriends to manipulate victims into property purchases. The "girlfriends" all shared the same fake name, "Liu Jia," police report shows.

The men, mostly in their 30s and working-class professionals, met these "girlfriends" on dating platforms. Within weeks, the women would push for marriage discussions but with one condition: buying a home first, Guangdong Radio and Television station reported.

One victim, surnamed Yao, recalled meeting a woman named "Liu Jia" in March last year. She insisted that buying a home was a prerequisite for meeting her parents and moving in together.

To convince him, she even offered 30,000 yuan (US$4,143) as a down payment and "strongly recommended" specific residential complexes in Huizhou City's Zhongkai district.

Tempted by love, Yao quickly completed the purchase. However, once the deal was sealed, Liu Jia suddenly became distant. Soon after, she blocked his messages and disappeared entirely.

Yao was not alone. Several other men reported similar experiences, all involving women named "Liu Jia." Each relationship lasted no more than a month and ended abruptly after the property transaction.

Behind the scam: a real estate sales tactic?

Further investigation revealed that the women were all employees of Shenzhen Yijia Real Estate Consulting Co. Two real estate agents surnamed Luo and Wen, were identified as key figures behind the operation, who also handled the paperwork of the property procurement for the men.

Tianyancha.com, China's top business data site, shows they also owned a media company, which some victims claim was used to facilitate the scheme.

The targeted housing complexes, Jiujingtai and Top Class Residential Complex, had been offering substantial purchase incentives at the time. The properties were sold at market price, meaning that while the victims were deceived, they were not directly overcharged.

Legal experts note that this case bears similarities to "dining scams," where individuals are lured into expensive meals.

Since the homes were sold at standard rates, the scheme does not technically constitute fraud, thepaper.cn reported.

However, the men may have legal grounds to seek contract cancellation or compensation, said Chen Liang, senior partner at Guangdong Everwin Law Office.

Authorities have stated that they will work together to investigate and take enforcement actions and protect the buyers' legal rights. Meanwhile, the implicated real estate agency has already shuttered its offices.