19 Chinese guys who were looking for marriages found that they were trapped in a scam of more than 2 million yuan (about 300,000 euros).

Authorities in Inner Mongolia, China’s autonomous region, last week apprehended two women and three accomplices, who seemed to be family members.

According to the South China Morning Post, detectives have uncovered a complex scam scheme that, as far as is known, involves the dissolution of 19 marriages.

The entire story came to light after one of the brides and grooms discovered that the bride was his wife via a wedding video he saw on social media.

The “beloved wife” was a member of a group of five people who set up an inventive marriage scam. It was found during an investigation after the guy reported it to the police.

As a result, two ladies took on the roles of the spouses and three other people assumed that of the in-laws.

In less than two years, the two women were successful in convincing 19 men to become their husbands. Additionally, they asked for money or lovely engagement presents, both of which they received.

The majority of the 19 men come from rural areas, where it can be challenging to find a life partner because there are more men than women. In China, there are 17.52 million more men than women in the 20–40 age range, which is considered marriageable, as of the most latest statistics of the country’s population.

The 19 men were persuaded to delay the marriage’s official registration under a variety of justifications.

The 35-year-old man from Urad who, after watching his wife marry a man from a nearby town in an online video, got in touch with the second husband. Together, they went to the police station after realizing they had been scammed because the woman had asked for both jewelry and sizable amounts of money as a gift.

The “suitor” who ended up being a crook introduced the woman, who was from Gansu Province, to them. When the story was discovered, she had been married to her first husband for two months, but she had only remained with him for ten days due to her alleged need to care for her critically ill parents.

Investigators found that the two ladies displayed identical behavior and connected with their boyfriends through the same potential suitor. The two married a total of 19 men.