A man who used his son's photo for online dating and swindled his "girlfriend" out of 20,000 yuan ($2,991) has been arrested in Shanghai on suspicion of fraud.

Local media reported on Monday that the man, surnamed Wang, claimed to be "under-aged" and met his girlfriend known as Xiao Zi online in 2015, and soon developed into a romantic relationship.

From 2019, Wang began borrowing money from Xiao Zi, first asking her to top up his game account, and later asking for money to buy clothes, iPads, smart watches, and even iPhones. 

In August 2020, Xiao Zi flew to Shanghai in the hope of meeting Wang in person. However, he refused to show up and kept her waiting in a rented apartment for weeks.

Unable to find any more excuses, Wang finally confessed that he was in fact married and had children, and had been using photos of his good-looking son to maintain the relationship with her all along. 

Wang was later arrested for falsifying facts through the internet and cheating others out of a large amount of money.

Global Times