Scam-o-Rama in Shezhen

Echoing an earlier post I just read on this website I would like to mention that the "Shenzhen Government seeks hundreds of teachers... 10,500 RMB/month plus 3,600 housing allowance...etc. run by an American man calling himself "Edward J[edited]" and an "attorney" seems to be an identity theft scam.

Over a period of months I provided all of my identity information to this "recruiter" and got a "job offer" letter from an "Olivia Huang", an apparently fictitious colleague of Mr. J[edited]. When she was emailed at her two email addresses for clarification on the situation described herein no answer came.

As the time came close to go to China I was first told that I would have to return to the US and wait 43 days for a work visa. Then, miraculously there was such need that the Shenzhen government would start new teachers December 10, 2012 then fly me back to the US to complete work visa requirements during the Chinese New Year after allowing work on a tourist visa for two months.

To add to this Mr. "J[edited]" conveniently had a room for rent opening in his own apartment and offered to rent to me.

Decisions made as a result: I skipped a return flight from Australia to the US.

Got a good friend to use frequent flier miles to get me a ticket to Shenzhen.

Went first through the Chinese Consulate and then a travel agent instead per Mr. J[edited]'s insistence that the visa process would be simpler and more expedient through the travel agent. I ended up paying over $300 for an expedited visa as the flight date to Shenzhen neared. The travel agent gave me 3 pages of requirements for the visa which were forwarded to Mr. "J[edited]". He balked at the need to complete these necessary items. Over and over email and skype contacts were made. The Chinese government requires either a hotel reservation or an invitation from the people you'll be staying with. Mr. J[edited] insisted that this was not necessary. The travel agent insisted that it was indeed necessary in order to complete and submit the visa application.

Mr. J[edited] held out various items, claiming that they weren't necessary for various periods of time and on this last item until two days before the scheduled flight to China - too short of a time to complete the visa application. He admitted that he was "not legal in China" so couldn't issue an invitation letter and had a travel agent make a bogus hotel reservation for me. This was still too late to get the visa and the flight. Mr. J[edited] made no apologies for his behavior and sent a one sentence email: "They didn't give you a visa?" A week later he sent a sentence: "How's the visa going?". Another week after that he claimed that a school was waiting for me to start. By then, with the advice of several trusted friends I had concluded that this man had a personality disorder and was a con artist. Perhaps he lures people to Shenzhen and gets them to pay his rent while having his hand in other schemes and then has a falling out with them and voila!, free rent and on to the next victim.

I saw his ad. repeated with another "recruiter" of my acquaintance and sent her an email advising that she should verify that there are real schools associated with that job offer and that I would be happy to deal with these schools directly and make sure she got her finder's fee. I never heard anything from her after that. I've included a picture of this man which I found on the web.