Dating is the necessary evil that we all endure in the pursuit of love, or at least a decent story to tell our friends. You could meet the love of your life, or you could end up with a story so outlandish it goes viral on TikTok.
A woman @therealchick511 on TikTok recently shared a blind date experience that took a turn so sharp, it’s practically a U-turn. Our heroine went on a blind date with a man who, during the course of their conversation, casually revealed that he lives with his husband. Plot twist: the man is straight, and the marriage? It’s all a sham, a ruse, a con designed to game the military benefits system. You see, in the U.S. military, married service members receive a higher Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH) than their single counterparts. This extra money is intended to help cover the cost of housing for the service member and their spouse. But our crafty duo decided to take advantage of this system by getting hitched, even though they’re just friends.
Before you start applauding their ingenuity and nominating them for the “Scam Artist of the Year” award, the sheer audacity of their scheme is kind of impressive, in a twisted sort of way. Users on TikTok had a field day with this story, with reactions ranging from “honestly, smart” to “they really said work smarter, not harder.” Some even pointed out that the two men could potentially get stationed together, which is like having your BFF with you 24/7. Talk about a bromance for the ages.
Though, as impressive as all these sounds, it’s a slap in the face to all the real military families out there. The ones who are actually married, actually supporting each other, and relying on that BAH to keep a roof over their heads. In recent years, there have been several high-profile cases of soldiers being convicted for their involvement in sham marriage rings. For example, in 2019 a former Army sergeant at Fort Bragg was found guilty of conspiracy to commit marriage fraud as part of a scheme that arranged marriages between troops and immigrants.
These fraudsters are essentially stealing from those families. Call me old-fashioned, but I think integrity should count for something. The military is built on trust and integrity. What happens when word gets out that Sgt. Scammy McScammerson over here is gaming the system? It erodes that trust. It creates resentment. Suddenly, everyone’s side-eyeing each other, wondering who else might be in on the con. @therealchick511’s story definitely delivered on that front.