Telecom, Internet fraud increasing in China

BEIJING -- China's Supreme People's Procuratorate said that 32,463 people were prosecuted across China for fraud using telecommunications and the internet in the first half of 2020, an increase of 77.1 percent year on year.

According to figures released by the SPP, a total of 58,101 suspects were indicted by prosecutors for fraudulent acts between January and June, up by 35 percent from the same period last year.

Moreover, fraud cases related to the COVID-19 epidemic have been on the rise, said the SPP, adding that 43.4 percent of those involved in epidemic-related criminal offenses were indicted for fraud.

Fraudsters targeted various fields including education, medical care, employment, poverty alleviation and financial credit services, among others, said the SPP, adding that fraud not only causes economic losses to the victims but also undermines economic and social development.

Meanwhile, the means of swindling are getting smarter. According to the SPP, new technologies such as artificial intelligence and big data analysis are being used by swindlers, allowing crimes to be carried out anonymously in a virtual world.

In response to these new tendencies, procuratorial organs nationwide have maintained a tough stance against fraud, said the SPP.