Published on: Dec 10, 2025 10:19 am IST
Chinese employees were found using printed face masks to bypass a facial recognition attendance system.
A group of employees at a neighbourhood committee in China allegedly used printed images of their colleagues’ faces as masks to fool a facial recognition clocking in system, according to a report by the South China Morning Post.
Surveillance footage exposed Chinese employees using fake face masks to skip work.(Representational image/Gemini AI generated) Staff caught using printed masks
According to Wenzhou City Daily, a resident surnamed Li reported that several staff members at a neighbourhood committee in Wenzhou City in Zhejiang province printed out high resolution photographs of colleagues’ faces and crafted them into masks. These were then worn to fool the attendance system.
Li alleged that the committee’s secretariat, also surnamed Li, led the group in cheating the clocking in mechanism. By wearing the paper face coverings, one staff member could reportedly check in on behalf of multiple people, enabling them to skip work without being detected.
The act was captured by a surveillance camera installed directly above the check in device. However, it remains unclear how many employees were involved in the scheme or how the whistle blower accessed the surveillance footage used to expose the malpractice.
Role of neighbourhood committees
As noted by SCMP, neighbourhood committees, also known as residents’ committees, are the lowest tier of urban administrative governance in China. They function as autonomous organisations and their staff are not classified as civil servants. They do not receive a formal government salary but operate with an allowance, often taking on roles related to community management, mediation and basic administrative support.
(Also read: Chinese man breaks girlfriend’s bone by accident, then stages car crash to claim insurance)
Whistle blower seeks official action
Li reported the matter to higher government authorities in October, urging an investigation into the attendance fraud. Local authorities reportedly assured Li that a response would be issued by December 31.
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