Police crack 155,000 cases of telecom, internet fraud

Police nationwide cracked 155,000 telecom and internet fraud cases and arrested 145,000 suspects in the first eight months of this year, according to the Ministry of Public Security.

Li Guozhong, spokesman of the ministry, said at a news conference on Wednesday that the special campaign against telecom and internet fraud that was launched this year has focused on areas such as fake loans and customer service representative impersonations, and it has achieved remarkable results, helping victims avoid economic losses of about 80 billion yuan ($12 billion).

The ministry's anti-fraud warning number-96110-has helped about 8.7 million people avoid being cheated. In addition, the ministry has issued A-level arrest warrants, the highest-level wanted notices issued nationwide, for 10 fugitive leaders of telecom and internet fraud groups.

The fugitives are urged to turn themselves in as soon as possible to encourage leniency. Additionally, the public is encouraged to provide clues to police, who will reward informants.

Li said that with work and production resuming, some fraud leaders in overseas or border areas set up bases and openly recruited followers to carry out scams.

Police have adopted numerous strategies to deal with different illegal activities, and public security organs will continue to crack down strongly on such crimes, he said.

The organs have stepped up efforts to improve their anti-fraud capabilities and have upgraded technology to intercept fraudulent phone calls. They have also established mechanisms for verifying the identities of risky bank accounts that may be involved in fraud, blocking fraudulent websites and providing early warnings to victims to reduce losses.

Li called for the public to enhance awareness of fraud prevention. He also said that people should not easily believe what strangers say and should double-check the identities of those who engage them.