Why China is calling one man its ‘most devoted fraudster’

A man once labelled China’s “most devoted fraudster” has reignited debate over healthcare costs and desperation after mainland media revisited the story of how he illegally secured life-saving dialysis for his wife.

The case centres on Liao Dan, a former factory worker in Beijing whose family fell into financial hardship after losing stable employment. In 2007, his wife, Du Jinling, was diagnosed with severe uraemia and required dialysis three times a week — treatment costing more than 5,000 yuan a month, an amount the family could not sustain.

Facing mounting bills, Liao reportedly contacted a maker of counterfeit seals, forged an official hospital stamp and began doctoring payment receipts to make it appear dialysis fees had already been paid. Instead of settling the full charges, he allegedly submitted falsified payment records so his wife could continue receiving treatment.

The scheme reportedly continued until hospital staff uncovered irregularities, turning what began as a desperate attempt to prolong his wife’s life into a criminal case that later drew national attention.

Prosecutors accused Liao of using forged receipts over several years to avoid medical charges amounting to about 172,000 yuan. His wife, Du Jinling, eventually died of multiple organ failure in May 2016 despite years of dialysis treatment, according to reports revisited by Chinese media.

While authorities treated the actions as fraud, many online commentators viewed Liao as a husband pushed to the edge by unaffordable healthcare costs.