Police nab 100 in 'superstition' telecom fraud case

HEFEI - Police in East China's Anhui province said they have recently busted seven gangs involved in a telecom fraud case and arrested 100 suspects.

A Weibo user reported to the police in the city of Ningguo that he had been tricked out his money in May when he paid around 10,000 yuan ($1,395) to buy an instrument from a fortune teller on Weibo who claimed that the device was sold by a famous temple and could bring good luck.

The victim received a parcel containing the instrument, however, he found that the sender's address was not from the temple.

Following the clue, local police launched an investigation and discovered seven gangs related to the online superstition telecom fraud case.

Police carried out raids in Anhui and neighboring Zhejiang province in July and caught 100 suspects.

Investigation showed that under the guise of a cultural media company, the suspects posted information about reading fortunes via accounts on Weibo in order to attract followers and finally rope them into buying auspicious items at high prices.

The value involved in the case totaled over 50 million yuan, according to the local police.