Guangdong lands blow against personal data thieves

Police in Guangdong province have detained 410 suspects during a crackdown on personal data theft.

Public security officials have seized more than 100 million pieces of stolen data while investigating 150 cases after launching a series of campaigns code-named Anwang at the start of the year.

Many computers, cellphones, ID cards and bank cards were seized, along with 40 Trojan horse programs and 30 servers, Guo Hongwei, a senior officer with the provincial authority's internet crime division, said on Thursday.

The Anwang campaigns have dealt a heavy blow to those who steal personal data, "but police will continue to spare no effort in the fight against this serious crime", he added. 

Guo hinted that more campaigns could be launched to tackle personal data theft and online fraud in the months ahead.