Telecom fraud crackdown yields gains

A vigorous crackdown on telecommunications fraud has significantly decelerated the growth of related crimes over the past few years following the dismantling of major Myanmar-based criminal syndicates, China's top court announced on Thursday.

Data released by the Supreme People's Court showed that between 2021 and 2025, Chinese courts concluded more than 159,000 first-instance criminal cases of telecom fraud, leading to the conviction and sentencing of approximately 338,000 defendants.

While the number of cases has continued to rise, the growth rate has dropped sharply. In 2023, the number of concluded cases and sentenced criminals increased by 48.4 percent and 38.6 percent year-on-year, respectively. In 2024, those figures rose by 29.4 percent and 26.7 percent. By 2025, the increases slowed to 1.2 percent and 4.5 percent, according to the data.

"This set of data has clearly indicated that the rate of increase in telecom fraud cases has significantly slowed, highlighting the interim effectiveness of the judicial authorities' efforts in combating and preventing such crimes," said Wang Bin, chief judge of the SPC's Third Criminal Division.

Wang emphasized that courts have intensified the fight against transnational organizations, with a particular focus on ringleaders and individuals involved in violent offenses such as intentional homicide, injury, and kidnapping.

By the end of 2025, Chinese courts had concluded over 27,000 first-instance telecom fraud cases linked to northern Myanmar, sentencing more than 41,000 defendants. Wang said two high-profile cases involving notorious family-operated syndicates in northern Myanmar have completed all judicial procedures. During those proceedings, 39 criminals received life imprisonment or harsher penalties, with 16 of them sentenced to death.

"The dismantling of these two major cross-border armed criminal groups marks a significant blow to the audacity of offenders both domestically and internationally," Wang said.

Beyond successful criminal prosecutions, the court emphasized a strengthened focus on recovering assets. Wang noted that while a significant amount of defrauded funds has been transferred overseas, courts are collaborating with public security and prosecution departments to identify, freeze, and seize illicit property. Courts will also increase financial penalties to ensure scammers do not financially benefit from the proceeds of crime.

Despite these successes, the diversification of fraud methods continues to present challenges, according to Si Mingdeng, deputy chief judge of the SPC's Fourth Criminal Division.

"We continue to see high incidences of fraud schemes such as fake investment and financial products, false sales, and impersonation of customer service representatives," Si said. He added that scammers are increasingly using cutting-edge technologies, such as artificial intelligence face-swapping and deepfakes, to innovate their tactics.

In response, the SPC is drafting a legal guideline to help judges apply the law more accurately in cases involving new technologies. The guideline is currently open for public opinion and will be issued at an appropriate time.

caoyin@chinadaily.com.cn