Con man profits off parental expectations

Minhang district police have arrested a man for conning parents out of more than 50,000 yuan ($8,170) by promising to get their children admitted into prestigious local schools, police said.

District police began investigating the case after a resident surnamed He reported in September that a man surnamed Lin promised to get his son admitted into a well-regarded primary school in Pujiang town, according to a press release from the Minhang District Public Security Bureau.

He paid Lin 6,000 yuan, expecting to hear that his son was admitted, but an acceptance letter never came.

When He confronted Lin to find out what happened, the other man offered him a bunch of excuses and told him to be patient.

He wasn't able to confirm he had been tricked until he called the school and found out his son's name had never been on their admission list, police said.

Police caught Lin on September 28 and found he had also cheated several other couples with the same scam.

Police warned parents to be wary of people looking to take advantage of their high expectations for their children.