CORRECTED: Chinese fake reporter gets life for scam

Corrects currency conversion in third paragraph

BEIJING (Reuters) - A man who posed as an editor for China's top newspaper and promised to do people favours in exchange for bribes totalling about half a million U.S. dollars has been jailed for life, the paper said on Wednesday.

The People's Daily, mouthpiece of the ruling Communist Party, said Liu Yonghong had claimed to be its deputy chief editor and swindled victims out of large sums of money by promising to use his sway to secure official jobs and promotions.

Most of the 3.79 million yuan (247,000 pounds) he received from the scam was taken from one person between 2002 and 2003.

"He said the money was needed to bribe Party and government cadres," the paper reported. Liu had pleaded not guilty, it said.

Scams involving fake journalists are common in China, where official media are treated as an arm of government and journalists can use their influence to generate or silence stories.

The swindlers often demand money from officials or businessmen by threatening to expose corruption or promising positive press.

The genuine deputy chief editor of the People's Daily holds a high official rank in the Communist Party. In a front-page commentary, the paper said Liu's jailing "effectively protected the image of the Party newspaper and social justice."