Hong Kong woman marries stranger after being 'tricked' by work - PHOTO

Baku. 29 August. REPORT.AZ / Hong Kong woman has said she was tricked into marrying a complete stranger on the mainland while taking part in a "mock" wedding, Report informs citing the BBC.

The woman has said she was told that she had to play the role of a bride in a simulated wedding as part of her training to be a wedding planner. During the ceremony she and the man signed a genuine marriage document.

She only realised she was actually married after returning to Hong Kong, where she sought legal help. Local police were unable to help due to a lack of evidence that a crime had taken place, so she approached the Hong Kong Federation of Trade Unions (FTU).

Notably, in May, the 21-year-old - who has not been named - saw a listing on Facebook for a make-up artist apprenticeship. But after applying, she was convinced by the firm to switch to a wedding planner role.

She was given a week's worth of free training in Hong Kong and was told she needed to participate in a mock wedding in the Chinese province of Fujian to pass the course.

In July, she signed a marriage application document in a local government center. She was told that her marriage would be “void” afterwards. But after coming back to Hong Kong, one of her classmates convinced her that it was a scam.

She remains married for now and may have to apply for a divorce. It is unclear who the man she married is, or if he entered Hong Kong after the marriage.

Each year, Hong Kong police see an average of 1000 cross-border marriage scam cases.Chinese residents who are married to a Hong Kong partner are able to apply to reside in the city.