When it comes to faking products, China leads the field. After all, last year authorities even uncovered five fake Apple stores in the city of Kunming.
Now another audacious piece of Chinese fakery has come to light – with a businessman inventing a bank and claiming that he’d bought it.
Rice trader Lin Chunping was reported to have bought Atlantic Bank in the US state of Delaware back in January for $60m (£38m).
It was seen as another example of China’s growing economic power and Chunping, 41, was subsequently showered with praise and given a post on a prestigious advisory body - the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference.
But then everything began to unravel, fast.
Chinese reporters tasked with writing features about the achievement discovered that the state of Delaware didn’t actually have an Atlantic Bank, let alone one registered by Lin, according to AP.
The media had previously described Lin as “legendary”, but now his reputation is in tatters.
Although China’s reputation for fakery has reached a whole new level.
Lin is now in jail on separate fraud charges.