Woman Admits To Impersonating Her Sister For 14 Years, Receives Sympathy Instead

A woman from China pretended to be her dead sister.

Earlier this month, it was reported that an unnamed woman took on the identity of her sister who was killed in a road accident in 1993. She resumed the work her sister was doing in a factory in Wuhai, Inner Mongolia, until 2007.

_E4_B9_8C_E6_B5_B7_E4_B8_9C_E5_B1_B1_E9_B8_9F_E7_9E_B0 — Wuhai City

A year later, she posed as her deceased sister and began receiving the pension meant for her. She earned 393,676 yuan ($54,000 USD) in pension funds until April 2023 when she was arrested.

Wuhai City’s Haibowan District People’s Court found her guilty of fraud, a charge which she did not deny. She was sentenced to a suspended three year prison sentence and was asked to pay a fine of 25,000 yuan ($3,500 USD).

Though she was guilty of a crime, the public was on her side. They believed it was only right that she received the money as she was the one working in the factory for 14 years. They added that her feigned identity was an oversight on the part of the business her sister was employed to.

“Who would work for 14 years just for a pension? She simply took over a job. Working for 14 years proves she was capable of performing it.”
“She didn’t pay less into social security, nor did she work less. Why shouldn’t she receive the pension now that she’s old? She is much more honest than those who hold official positions yet collect a high salary without working.”
“The sister impersonated her for over a decade to draw a salary. I don’t think there’s much wrong with that. It used to be acceptable to replace someone at work.”
“Similar situations were quite common in the past. She was just unlucky to get caught, someone probably reported her.”