Chinese police in battle against fake army officers

The mainland's unbridled boomtown ethos has famously spawned a world of counterfeits. Fake Apple stores, fake pharmaceuticals and even fake meat have hit the headlines.

But in recent weeks, police have had their hands full with a more treacherous kind of sham - fake military officials.

Beijing-based newspaper Guangming Daily reported on Friday that police in coastal Shandong province's Cangshan county arrested 15 people posing as officers from the People's Liberation Army on November 5.

The so-called fake military officer gang, backed by counterfeit badges and "confidential documents", had unsuccessfully attempted to convince local police that central military authorities had dispatched them to secure the release of prisoners.

On Thursday, China Business News reported that one fake military officer in Xian lost 800,000 yuan (HK$1 million) to another fake military officer in an elaborate scam.

"The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriel waiting behind," the newspaper wrote, borrowing a traditional Chinese expression.

The PLA is riddled with corruption. Notoriously secretive, the organisation enjoys weak disciplinary oversight and a strong tradition of camaraderie, enabling a culture of rampant graft. The sheer number of criminals to impersonate PLA officers in recent months - and the scale of their gains - testifies to widespread, tacit understanding of the organisation's grey economy.