Many who received the notices took the bait. The total money involved amounted to more than 100 million yuan (US$12.3 million), according to an official surnamed Su from Hubei Provincial Education Department. "The agencies claimed they had 'special quotas' for recruiting students to vocational schools or secondary departments at the colleges," Su said.

These empty promises were enough for many parents.

"The criminals took advantage of the weakness of the parents, who will pay anything to get their children into higher education," Su said.

He said the normal procedure is for students to check their enrolment online after receiving their admission notices.