Security agency targets fraudulent govt officials

National security officials in Beijing have stepped up their efforts to track down and prosecute bogus government officials who use fake documents to cheat people out of money.

The National Security Administration in Beijing renewed its warning against such fraudsters as it publicized a telephone hotline that can be used to report them.

Police in the capital have uncovered scores of cases this year where fake identification papers, car registration plates and other items have been used to win people's confidence.

An official in charge of publicity at the administration said there has been an increase in the number of organized groups selling fake ID papers that identify the holders as security officials.

Under the Criminal Law, producing, altering or buying fake ID papers, government documents or stamps is punishable by up to 10 years in prison. Anyone who uses such documents faces similar penalties.

In May, the police found that a man surnamed Liu had purchased a fake NSA number plate and used it on his car. He was detained for 15 days.

A man named Hong Zuoming stands accused of posing as a member of the armed forces by using fake ID documents.

Prosecutors say that he gained the confidence of a businesswoman by claiming that he had close links with top officials in a number of government departments and that he could obtain benefits inland development and high-tech franchise programs.

The businesswoman reportedly gave him 3.16 million yuan ($515,000) and a watch worth 280,000 yuan between 2010 and 2012.

Hong, 36, was in fact unemployed, and had been jailed for two and a half years in 2002 for impersonating an official. His case is being heard in a Beijing court.

Government officials have also been caught using false documents to gain promotion.

Feng Zhaohui, a senior official at the highway administration office in Shanxi province, was placed under investigation in April by the top anti-corruption watchdog. He was found to be using a fake ID and had a counterfeit university degree certificate, resume and Communist Party of China membership card, Xinhua News Agency reported.

Feng, a junior high school graduate, presented the fake certificate, which supposedly came from Beijing Jiaotong University, when he was employed by a state-owned enterprise in Dec 2002.

A month later he faked a CPC membership card and he eventually became a public servant in the highway office.

He also overstated his connections with top officials in Beijing and solicited money from other government officials to secure promotions for them.

Sources in Shanxi said the use of counterfeit documents to gain promotion is widespread.

"There is nothing genuine about these high-level officials except their gender," one source said.

Wei Jie, a criminal defense lawyer, said fraudsters often pretend to be NSA officials because it is a security organization whose information is not available to the public.

"Ordinary people have no way to check the IDs of officials in the department, which gives fraudsters opportunities to cheat people," he said.

"There is a lack of transparency in the bidding process for some government projects, and people tend to believe the fraudsters. They would rather spend money in the hope of gaining business from the government."

The NSA hotline number is 010-6524-5781.

zhang_yi@chinadaily.com.cn