BEIJING, Feb. 17 -- Chinese police have busted a company running a counterfeit magazine under the name of a legitimate namesake, according to anti-illegal publications authorities.

The Beijing culture and media company "Zhong Lian Ming Jing" was fined 20,000 yuan (3,300 U.S. dollars) for using the license certificate of the Economic and Social Development Research magazine, based in north China's Shanxi Province, to run a namesake journal, said a statement released Monday by the National Anti-Pornography and Anti-Illegal Publications Office.

The office received tip-offs in September last year concerning a reporter station in Beijing for the Shanxi-based magazine. Follow-up investigations and cross-examination of the legitimate magazine's headquarters revealed that the magazine office was illegal and not related to the Shanxi magazine.

Monday's case follows action to clean up the media and publishing industries, including a two-month national campaign late last year that led to investigation of 200 blackmail cases involving people impersonating reporters.

Also on Monday, details of a series of typical cases involving unlicensed media offices and journalistic blackmail or fraud were revealed.

In one case a suspect surnamed Liu was detained for blackmail involving a total of 182,000 yuan in several provinces.

In many blackmailing cases criminals impersonating reporters often threaten to expose "scandals" of businesses or individuals unless they are paid with large sums of money.

Last month, the State General Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television announced fresh campaigns that will run until March, to deal with counterfeit reporters and for-profit journalism.