And what he's doing is not illegal or even unethical so I don't see the problem with doing it myself - it's just a clever way to leverage the system to your advantage and make money legally.
You're wrong. Of course its unethical to pretend you are something you are not in order to make money. Again, it doesn't matter if everybody else is doing it, its wrong to be an impostor. Its not a matter of opinion. You're just trying to excuse bullshit behavior to make yourself feel better.