Renewed bid to root out scammers welcome

FIVE PEOPLE HAVE BEEN DETAINED for their involvement in the death of a 23-year-old university graduate, who was found dead in a pond in Tianjin's Jinghai district last month, after reportedly falling victim to a fake job advertisement and being tricked into a pyramid scheme. Beijing News commented on Tuesday:

On the same day the college graduate died another 25-year-old lost his life in Jinghai, which is home to criminal networks that take advantage of ill-informed and naive job seekers who respond to fake job advertisements, then employ every possible trick－such as brainwashing, swindling, beating and detaining－to force them to prey on other prospective victims.

A fraudulent employment advertisement published on Zhipin, a popular recruitment website, lured the 23-year-old graduate to Jinghai on May 20. He was not alone in falling for such scams. Last year the Cyberspace Administration of China shut down 16 recruitment websites in a campaign targeting illegal activities related to recruitment websites, from fake job offers to pyramid promotions.

Police said 3,000 law enforcement officers have now been dispatched to hunt down those involved in such schemes. They also pledged to coordinate with neighboring provinces to break the networks.

Improved cross-regional enforcement is more than necessary to combat pyramid schemes, which have become a malignant tumor in social governance. The tragic death of two young men in Jinghai is just the tip of the iceberg, and should be a wakeup call to local authorities. Consistent, standardized efforts are called for to eliminate such deadly scams across the country, particularly in Central and South China.

The truth is that most parts of China have scammers, who go to great lengths to avert supervision and recruit followers. They even feel little shame in brainwashing their family and friends. The recent detention of a Jinghai resident, who was accused of knowingly renting his house to pyramid sellers, marks a laudable move to root out whoever is behind such crimes.