A total of 40 people who applied for household registration in China’s Guangzhou city were disqualified from a program aimed at attracting young talent after it was found that they had falsely claimed to be graduates from prestigious universities.

The applications were made between November 2019 and April 2020 and involved fake degree certificates from Tsinghua University, Fudan University and the University of International Business and Economics, according to an announcement posted on the official website of Guangzhou’s Zengcheng District.

Fake professional certificates were also involved in the scam, which has resulted in the perpetrators being unable to apply again for the talent program for five years.

The perpetrators were reported to be connected to five companies involved in electrical engineering, software and the installation of air conditioners and refrigerators, according to mainland Chinese media.

The registrations of three of these companies were submitted in November 2019, around the same time the applications to the talent program were made.

Such talent programs are used by Chinese cities to attract young potential residents amid the demographic strain brought on by China’s aging population.

Public policy researcher Yu Liang said that certifications can now be verified online, meaning that such attempts at fraud are of a “very low standard and are very difficult to get by undetected.”

In December 2018, the Guangzhou municipal government introduced measures relating to the household registration of talents, explaining the criteria that must be met to qualify, including age, education level, professional qualifications and skills.

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