Five forgers face formal charges of counterfeiting

Five suspected counterfeiters of official documents and certificates were recently formerly charged by local police in Quzhou, Zhejiang Province, who said they had tracked the criminal gang for seven years, Chinanews.com reported Monday.

Some 200,000 forgeries of about 500 different types of documents including graduation certificates, passports, military officer identifications and procurator identifications, as well as thousands of forged official seals, were confiscated. Police say the certificates had been sold to people in 16 provinces and municipalities.

Local police started in 2005 to track the criminal ring, which consisted of nine members, after they began to advertise their illegal service. The news portal didn't explain why it took police so long to bust the counterfeiters.

Police began busting the ring this summer, making arrests in June, July and August. Two suspects, detained on July 30, were found with more than 2,000 forged seals and 2,500 unfinished ones. Another two suspects including the alleged leader of the ring, were arrested in August in Hangzhou.

Hangzhou police said they had eliminated five counterfeiters in the city, which distributed forged products to more than 100 smaller outlets.

Gu Sha, a lawyer of the Shanghai Nuowei Law Firm, told the Global Times Tuesday there is a huge demand for counterfeit certificates, which are often used by cheats, criminals and con artists.

"Someone going on a blind date might show a forged certificate to show how important they are, and then swindle the unsuspecting person," said Gu.

"Counterfeiters only need to pay a small sum of money on renting a place and equipment to launch the business," Gu said, adding that the criminal consequences facing forgers are not tough enough.

Counterfeiters who forge company certificates are sent to jail for up to two years and those who fake official certificates can be sentenced to prison for 10 years, said Gu.

As of August, some 3,600 counterfeiting cases had been handled, said the Ministry of Public Security.