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Trickster quizzed over elite school places scam

2014-09-17 16:09 Shanghai Daily Web Editor: Qian Ruisha
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A man has been detained on suspicion of cheating parents out of 100,000 yuan (US$16,250) by claiming he could get their children into elite schools, Yangpu District police said yesterday.

The man, surnamed Xin, was apprehended in Suzhou, neighboring Jiangsu Province, on September 1, after allegedly fleeing there, police said.

The case came to light when staff at an unnamed school received complaints from several parents claiming to have been duped. Most of them were migrant workers who said they had paid between 10,000 and 20,000 yuan to secure places for their children.

According to police, an alleged victim surnamed Wang said Xin told him he had contacts at the school and could use his influence to secure a place for Wang's 7-year-old son.

Wang was impressed and agreed to pay a "commission fee" of 20,000 yuan. A week later the father received an admission letter from the school, complete with the seals of both the school and the district education authority.

Wang then arranged to meet Xin at the school on August 30, but the alleged confidence trickster did not show.

When Wang presented his admission letter to the school, he was told it was a counterfeit.

Police said Xin is accused of manufacturing fake seals to make his scam appear more convincing.

An official from the Yangpu District Education Bureau said the bureau will help the victims of the scam find suitable schools.

Despite a nationwide crackdown on corruption, one mother said she was happy to use bribery to get the best for her child.

Zhang Yi, who has a 9-year-old boy, said she paid a 20,000 yuan "commission fee" to get her son into a "good" primary school. "You need to prepare early for the future," she said.

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