Chinese man changes locks on vacant flat, sells it to unsuspecting couple for US$103,000

A man in eastern China deceived long-time friends out of over 700,000 yuan (US$103,000) by changing the lock on a random vacant flat and posing as its owner to sell it to them. Sun, a Shanghai resident who previously owned two shops that went out of business, had a history of serving time for fraud, according to the mainland media outlet Xinmin Evening News.

Following his release from prison in 2017, a married couple he had known for nearly three decades consistently provided him with meals,...