The story of a 19-year-old young man from Guangdong, China, who was sold by his girlfriend for 100,000 yuan (approximately 365 million VND) to work in a scam ring has caused a stir.
In February 2025, the 19-year-old boy named Xiao Huang was sold by his 17-year-old girlfriend Xiao Zhu to a scam ring manager in Myanmar for 100,000 yuan. He was subsequently shaved bald, locked in a “dark room,” and forced to participate in online scams. If he did not meet the targets, he would be brutally beaten until deaf.
The story was shared by the victim’s sister on social media to warn other young people to be vigilant and avoid becoming victims of similar scams.
A Deep Love at 19
According to reports, Xiao Huang and Xiao Zhu met at a billiard hall in 2024. After connecting through a chat app, they began talking and decided to become a couple and live together. Xiao Huang’s sister was not fond of her brother’s girlfriend due to her “playful” appearance, revealing clothing, and designer bags and accessories. “The branded items on her look fake.” She did not understand why her brother was so infatuated with this girl.
Based on her interactions with Xiao Zhu, the sister believed that the girl was trying to embellish herself, and her actual circumstances might not match what she claimed. The boy’s sister assessed her brother as “the typical person who is infatuated in love.”
An Unimaginable Trap
During their relationship, Xiao Zhu continuously “brainwashed” Xiao Huang, saying that her family had a business in Myanmar and wanted him to go there to work with her. In early February 2025, Xiao Huang secretly went with Xiao Zhu to Bangkok (Thailand) without informing his family.
In the sister’s account: “But when they reached the border, things became unusual. My brother said that the people who came to pick him up had guns and confiscated his passport and phone. He had to beg the girl for a phone to play with just to have a chance to text his family. We quickly reported to the police.”
Meanwhile, at the Thai-Myanmar border, Xiao Zhu made an excuse to pick someone else up and abandoned Xiao Huang. He was then escorted to a scam industrial zone in Myanmar. There, he was controlled, shaved bald, and forced to participate in online scams. Xiao Huang’s manager told him that he had spent 100,000 yuan to buy him from Xiao Zhu, so he had to generate profits for the industrial zone. Xiao Huang had to work 16 to 20 hours a day. The guards often beat him with metal rods on his back and ears, in addition to starving him mercilessly. Under brutal torture, Xiao Huang lost significant weight and suffered hearing damage.
A Tragic Story for Both
Unable to scam anyone, the operators of the industrial zone demanded Xiao Huang’s family pay a ransom for him to return home. His family sought help and eventually negotiated with the scammers. They had to pay 350,000 yuan (approximately 1.3 billion VND) to bring Xiao Huang back home in June this year. Compared to before going abroad, Xiao Huang had lost a lot of weight and his skin had darkened significantly.
As for Xiao Zhu, after selling Xiao Huang for 100,000 yuan, she kept the huge sum and stayed in Thailand for 10 days before returning home, where she was arrested by the police. Xiao Zhu is currently being prosecuted by the Prosecutor’s Office for fraud. The trial scheduled for the end of July was postponed once and will soon be heard. Xiao Huang’s family hopes that Xiao Zhu will face severe legal consequences.
According to 163