124 arrested for cross-border telecom fraud

CHENGDU - A total of 124 suspects, including seven Taiwan residents, have been arrested in southwest China's Sichuan Province and Cambodia for cross-border telecom fraud.

In February, major telecom fraud cases were reported to police in Sichuan. Suspects, disguised as court or police officials, claimed that the victims' bank accounts had been breached, inducing them to transfer their money to a so-called "safe account" in panic.

After investigation, police located the gang's den in Cambodia.

Eighteen people were first arrested in an April raid in Sichuan. Another 74 people were captured on July 1 by Chinese and Cambodian police during raids on several locations in Phnom Penh. Cambodia deported the suspects to China on July 6.

On July 17, another 32 suspects, including seven Taiwan residents, were caught in similar telecom fraud cases in Cambodia. A large number of mobile phones and laptops were seized during the crackdowns. Seventeen of the 32 suspects were sent to China by Cambodian authorities on Thursday.