Scams in China increasingly involve college students

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Scams in China increasingly involve college students

Staff Reporter
2014-10-06

A group of suspects arrested for taking part in a marketing scam in Xi'an, Shaanxi province, July 15. (Photo/CFP)

New scams in the guise of e-commerce and financial investments are spreading in China, and college students are taking part in larger numbers.

Police in Xi'an's Lintong district recently busted a ring of con artists, raiding 55 locations and arresting 418 people, 40% of whom were college students. This is the latest of a string of similar raids in the country starting in July, in all of which college students were prominently involved.

Lu Yadong, deputy chief of Lintong police bureau, said such scammers have whitewashed their operations, changing their names to those of capital operations and joint-venture startups, and extending their targets to include college students and white-collar workers besides the traditional targets of underprivileged groups.

The new schemes are especially appealing to young people with some knowledge of but not a full experience of the law, Lu said. Many college students who have been caught have insisted that they are pursuing a career and deny any involvement in scamming. As a result, some students repeatedly return to the practice despite police crackdowns, according to Lu.

Insiders noted that involvement of college students in scams underscores flaws in the education system as well as insufficient and underpaid job opportunities in society, which prompt them to participate in these illegal activities hoping to make quick money.