BEIJING -- It all started on a bit of a lark.

Wang Hai, China's leading consumer advocate, was barely in his 20s when he stumbled across a little-known clause in the country's Consumer Rights Protection Law that said retailers selling fake goods or services should pay the customer double.

Wang Hai [file]

"I didn't believe it would work so I decided to test it out," Wang said.

He bought 12 pairs of Sony headphones that appeared fake. Eight months later, he got $26 back. In two years, his total compensation reached $13,000.

He soon realized how much money there was to be made -- and how many counterfeits were out there. "I discovered there was a great need in society to fix this problem," he said.

The soft-spoken Wang sports a small patch of beard and wears Ray-Ban sunglasses when photographed so "people don't recognize me when I go to stores." He has set up a national hot line, partly funded by a grant from George Washington University, that helps callers sue, get their money back or investigate questionable companies.

Two people work the phones in a sparsely furnished, fluorescent-lit office on the eastern edge of Beijing, jotting down details and doling out advice.

"Sometimes the phones ring nonstop. Most people are really angry at having bought bad or fake goods," said Han Lili, 23, one of the employees. "I've talked to all sorts. Nothing is too strange."

Soon after, she speaks to a man in northern Shanxi province whose allegedly pure gold chain turned white in places. Another caller from central China complains of floating flakes in his milk. A third wants her cell phone replaced because its keypad broke and its color rubbed off only a month after she bought it. The service receives as many as 100 complaints a day.

"Sometimes I get so agitated when I hear about all these cases," Wang said. "Food safety is a huge problem in China. But what is a more serious problem is that there are cheats to be found everywhere. They lie to people all the time."