Chinese woman lives 2 months for free by exploiting shop return policies, scamming men
Police say woman who lived high on the hog carried box of dead crickets in her bag to trick hospitality outlets over hygiene conditions
A woman in China who took advantage of an array of businesses and managed to live in Shanghai for two months without spending a penny has been arrested by the police.
The woman in her 20s, surnamed Huang, was arrested by officers in the city in April and is facing charges of picking quarrels and stirring up trouble.
According to the police, Huang had been scamming hotels, restaurants and taxis in Shanghai and successfully escaped paying for anything for two months.
Huang stayed at different hotels and bathing centres in the city, and each time at the end of her stay, she complained about hygiene conditions in exchange for payment waivers.
She also deliberately rubbed and grazed her skin to claim refunds from bathing centres on numerous occasions.
Investigators also found a box of dead crickets in Huang’s luggage, which she used to frame the hotels.
The hospitality venues usually charged about 200 yuan (US$28) a night.
She only paid three times for her stay; on each occasion, the bill was paid by men she met online.