A report by People’s Daily on Aug. 16 shed light on China's widespread certificate forgery industry.

Under the guise of legal businesses like commodity sales, some Taobao retailers are actually selling a wide range of counterfeited paperwork, the report explained.

For instance, a fake "sick leave note," required at many Chinese companies for the approval of medical leave, is sold for an average of 100 yuan ($15). The forged notes come complete with a diagnosis, medical prescription and forged stamps from the doctor and hospital. For a higher price, one can obtain forged health test results, inpatient treatment histories and treatment expense vouchers, which can be used to apply for medical refunds.

In addition, any student can pay around 50 yuan ($7.50) to obtain a fake internship certificate featuring the supposed employer's seal, certifying that he or she has worked as an intern for a given period of time.

Ge Lei, a lawyer from Beijing Yingke Law Firm, said that the illegal practice of stamp forgery can lead to punishment for both sellers and buyers.

According to Article 52 of China’s Public Security Administration Punishments Law, anyone who counterfeits any certificate, document or organizational seal, as well as anyone who buys or sells these forged documents, shall be detained for not less than 10 days but not more than 15 days, and may be concurrently fined up to 1,000 yuan.