Progress made on eliminating telecom fraud

Coordinated action on multiple fronts results in significant fall in reported cases

Reported cases of telecom and online fraud have fallen by 24 percent since August, signaling that progress has been made in the government's crackdown, according to Vice-Minister of Public Security Wang Zhizhong on Tuesday.

From January to the end of September, public security agencies apprehended 387 major leaders and key members of telecom fraud groups, Wang said during a news conference in Beijing.

Given the challenging circumstances, the Ministry of Public Security has coordinated among law enforcement agencies nationwide to gain an accurate understanding of the characteristics and patterns of telecom fraud. Specialized teams have been established to research and resolve telecom fraud-related issues to form both internal and external synergies. Multiple measures for the prevention and crackdown on such crimes have been strengthened, he said.

According to the ministry, it has collaborated closely with foreign law enforcement agencies.

This year, a total of 4,666 suspects involved in telecom fraud originating from northern Myanmar have been handed over to Chinese authorities by Myanmar law enforcement agencies through policing cooperation mechanisms, including 205 fugitives.

Hundreds of fraud suspects have also been escorted back to China from Indonesia, Laos and the Philippines.

Wang noted that the ministry, in coordination with the Supreme People's Procuratorate, has supervised the investigation of numerous major cases and exposed fraudulent schemes to deter the criminals.

The ministry has worked with various departments to target related crimes, including the promotion of fraudulent advertisements to attract victims, money transfers and money laundering, as well as technical development to support fraud, he added.

"We prioritize early-stage prevention and precaution, deploying various preventive measures to the fullest extent to minimize the occurrence of such cases," he said.

The ministry has guided law enforcement agencies at all levels to establish a classified warning and dissuasion mechanism. Through this mechanism, police have sent 310 million warning notices to various regions, Wang said.

The ministry and the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology have jointly established the 12381 anti-fraud warning and dissuasion SMS system. To date, a total of 640 million warning messages have been sent out.

Lin Yongsheng, director of the department of policy and regulation at the National Immigration Administration, said that in recent years, overseas gambling and fraud groups have collaborated with domestic individuals to entice Chinese citizens through high-paying employment for cross-border gambling and telecom fraud. This has severely impacted people's safety and property.

Immigration authorities have cracked down on organized smuggling activities to intercept individuals suspected of being involved in gambling and fraud, Lin said.