The price of a promotion

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Corruption is a huge problem in China today. In 2001, an academic in Beijing estimated the cost to the Chinese economy was as much as 16% of gdp. But as staggering as that number is (and some have argued it’s too high), nothing points out the pervasiveness of graft in China better than the audacious scams that emerge with astounding frequency.

Take the case of the fake police station. It was discovered this week in the central Chinese city of Xian. The story was first reported by the Huashang News, and picked up by the South China Morning Post. A group of alleged swindlers rented an office in the city and fixed it up like a police station complete with flags, a fake nameplate and forged documents, including one purportedly from Public Security Minister Zhou Yongkang. They then began recruiting new officers. The marks were told that for the price of $3,800 they would be promoted to senior positions. Of the 30 that signed up, 12 paid for a promotion, the News reported.

Since the perpetrators weren’t actual police, this is a case of fraud rather than official corruption. But the scam played on the belief–which many of the duped recruits clearly held–that paying a bribe was the way to get ahead as a cop. That says just as much about the problem as any number. –Austin Ramzy