From the China Compliance Digest (Issue No. 21: June 25, 2012):
China’s State Internet Information Office recently declared authorities had pulled the plug on 89 websites claiming falsely to belong to charity organizations and government departments.
Many of these were designed to defraud the public under the guise of fighting corruption. Pretending to act on behalf of official enforcement agencies, administrators at these websites used fake allegations to solicit payoffs from businesses and individuals.
One of the shuttered websites closely resembled a police site and billed itself as belonging to the”China Internet Supervision and Investigation Authority.” This fake police agency promised to help “victims of online fraud” obtain restitution in return for a deposit or service fee.
Other websites peddled fake media credentials and degrees in journalism for thousands of yuan each.
Despite the ongoing crackdown, the fraud has escalated to the point where China National Bureau of Corruption Prevention (NBCP) found it necessary to warn the public against fake sites claiming association with the national anti-graft agency.
According to an official statement, “These websites have disturbed the NBCP’s normal working order.”
Sources: Xinhua News (新华社), China Daily
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