Editor’s note: The following article, which was translated from ifeng.com, tells the story of two university students who were among a group of 120 lured to a non-existent summer job in Dongguan by a phoney job agent. Cursed by a double dose of bad luck, they found themselves not only scammed, but penniless and ID-less in a city far from home. Here’s their story and how they managed to turn their experiences into a valuable life lesson.

First year university students Zhou Chao and Yin Peng came to Dongguan through a “job agent”, but five days after arriving the pair were not only jobless, they had lost their luggage, IDs, bank cards, 3-4000 RMB cash they’d been carrying on them – everything. All they had left was 11 RMB to their name, while the “agent” who had brought them there had dissappeared without a trace.

120 students scammed by phoney job agent

On June 29, two buses carrying over 120 students to Dongguan – including Zhou and Yin – departed for the entrance of Vtech Electronics Factory in Dongguan where the young hopefuls expected to find employment for the summer. According to Zhou Chao, it was promises of salaries of up to 2700 RMB a month by “job agents” on campus, that prompted the 120 students to sign up and embark on a two-month journey to Dongguan to earn a little money during the holidays. Most of the students on the buses came from Wuhan, while a smaller number came from Nanchang.

When they arrived at the Vtech entrance, an “agent” told them to wait there for a while – that wait ended up turning into several days and nights, by which time the money they had brought had almost been spent.  The “agent” dissappeared and Zhou Chao found himself the leader of the group.

A large crowd of temporary workers had gathered at the entrance of Vtech. According to a staff member at the factory, lots of job seekers show up at the gates each day but they never once posted a notice about summer jobs, not to mention sign a contract with a job agent from another province.

After the “agent” dissappeared, the 120 students received the same text message: to get in touch with Zhou Chao who had been given 1000 RMB to go towards accomodation and food. Zhou was also responsible for arranging their jobs, according to the message. As the appointed group leader, the “agent” dumped the responsibility onto Zhou. Zhou took on the task of helping students buy train tickets back home and ensuring they got on the right buses to meet friends or family. He even managed to find contacts who helped some of the students stay on in Dongguan for other summer work.

11 RMB left after losing wallet and luggage

The students who had travelled to Dongguan had given the “agent” a travel fee of 310 RMB as well as a 50 RMB orientation fee. For Zhou Chao and Yin Peng, this fee was a life lesson for them. Instead of retreating back to their hometowns defeated, the pair stayed on in Dongguan and found another summer job.

But luck was not on their side. On July 2, while on their way to work, they lost a backpack they’d been sharing. The bag contained an ID, bank cards, cash and a phone charger. As they got off their ride, Zhou Chao was left with one Kuai on him and Yin Peng 10 Kuai. The only luck they had was that Yin Peng had carried his ID on him.

After reaching out to a reporter who helped pay for transport, the two took a ride to a nearby police station to replace the lost ID. At Hetian police station, the officer checked his ID details and despite them matching with the records, was reluctant to issue a new one. And so, the officer told them to return to the police station where they originally registered their IDs.

By the time they left the police station, the two young men hadn’t eaten a thing in over 18 hours. Yin Peng decided to contact a friend in Huizhou for help. Neither of the pair told their parents about their fiasco for fear of causing them too much worry. Luckily, the friend agreed to meet him in Dongguan, since he didn’t have enough money to pay for the transport to Huizhou. The reporter arranged for a meeting at Nancheng Train Station and also invited them out for lunch. By 3pm, the friend from Huizhou arrived to help Zhou and Yin get back on their feet.

How it ended

After meeting up with their Huizhou friend, Zhou eventually managed to return to his hometown in Hubei Province, while Yin Peng went on to Huizhou with his friend, where he continued his summer job adventures in the Pearl River Delta. No doubt, the unlucky pair gained a valuable life lesson neither had counted on.

Source: ifeng.com

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Keywords: scammed by job agent job in Dongguan phoney job agent