County must improve governance to curb fraudsters

Police officers make a list of bank cards seized in a telecommunication fraud case in Xuchang, Henan province, in January. NIU YUAN/CHINA DAILY

Among the six suspects involved in a recent telecom fraud that cost a college-bound student nearly 10,000 yuan ($1,500) and eventually her life, five of them are from Anxi county in Southeast China's Fujian province. Many telecom fraudsters have reportedly chosen the county as their base. Beijing News commented on Tuesday:

The latest tragedy in which an 18-year-old student in Linyi, East China's Shandong province, died of cardiac arrest after being swindled out of the money her family had saved for her tuition fees, should serve as a wake-up call to telecom regulators across the country.

In particular, it is notable that Anxi county is home to a lot of telecom fraudsters, most of whom are local residents. Of course, there is no need to judge the county and its people because of that, but the authorities are obliged to find out why a considerable number of locals seem to be involved in telecom fraud.

Some local residents blame the telecom fraudsters on the other side of the Taiwan Straits for setting a bad example, as fraudsters from the island have based themselves in the county to conduct their illegal activities on the mainland and persuaded local residents to join them.

And many Anxi youngsters have participated in telecom frauds as a way to make quick money, especially as the traditional tea industry, which was an important source of income for a lot of families in the county, is no longer as buoyant as it used to be. But poverty and the desire to make quick money do not justify what the swindlers have done.

In other words, inefficient social governance should be blamed for Anxi county becoming home to so many telecom fraudsters. After reports revealed the dirty business in the county, the local government still turned a blind eye to it and the local telecom carrier even upgraded its base stations several times, exposing potential victims to greater dangers.

More education is needed as well since some local people do not think telecom fraud is illegal because it can make quick gains.