China vows severe punishment for trans-border telecom fraud, 5 major cases under oversight

BEIJING -- The investigations of five major trans-border telecom fraud cases have now been placed under the joint oversight of the Supreme People's Procuratorate (SPP) and the Ministry of Public Security, sending a strong signal that China will punish such crimes severely.

The cases were registered in five different provincial-level regions, namely Zhejiang, Fujian, Henan, Hunan, and Chongqing, each involving a large number of victims and causing severe harm to the public, the SPP said Tuesday.

Criminals will be targeted whether they are locally- or foreign-based, with both online and offline efforts to be explored by procuratorial and public security authorities.

Authorities are committed to capturing and cracking down on key financiers of such criminal groups and relevant backbone criminals, and to the capture, extradition, and repatriation of fraud scheme fugitives now on the run overseas, according to the SPP.

In a solemn warning, the authorities urged criminals staying abroad to take no chance of evading punishment and return to China to turn themselves in as soon as possible.