A young woman in China managed to live in Shanghai for two months without spending a penny but her cunning tactics have landed her behind bars.
Identified only by her surname Huang, the woman in her 20s was arrested in April and now faces charges of "picking quarrels and stirring up trouble," according to local police.
Authorities say Huang exploited dozens of hotels, restaurants, ride-hailing apps and e-commerce platforms, scamming her way into free accommodation, food, transport, clothes and even beauty services.
Her modus operandi involved staying at hotels and bathing centres before complaining about cleanliness to get full refunds. She even carried a box of dead crickets in her luggage to falsely claim rooms were infested. Investigators said that she only paid for her stay three times. Each of these stays was funded by men she met online. One such man said she ghosted him right after he paid for her stay.
Huang would order food deliveries, then criticise the meals to secure refunds. She regularly used multiple ride-hailing apps, only to complain about drivers and avoid paying. The woman also took advantage of seven-day return policies on clothing platforms to wear new outfits for free.
She didn’t stop there. Huang even visited beauty salons to get her nails and eyelashes done and then demanded refunds, claiming she felt unwell. In one case, a salon removed her eyelash extensions rather than charge her.
Her scam spree reportedly began after she genuinely found insects in a hotel room and was granted a free stay, inspiring her to continue freeloading. She often escalated disputes by calling the police and if they didn’t take her side, she filed complaints against them.
Eventually, her relentless schemes caught up with her and she was arrested. Huang has shown little remorse and blamed the police for "ruining her life."
“She can now live for free in prison,” quipped one person online.
