Chinese procuratorates approve arrests of 10,923 fraud suspects in Q1

BEIJING -- In the first quarter of this year, procuratorates across China have approved the arrest of 10,923 people suspected of committing fraud, the Supreme People's Procuratorate (SPP) announced Saturday.

The SPP said in a statement that over the same period, prosecutors filed indictments against 18,146 suspects on relevant charges.

According to the SPP, investigations have found that fraud cases related to elderly care and medical care insurance are on the rise.

It noted that over half of the fraud cases involved more than one perpetrator, and the illegal activities were well-organized, with the participation of multiple criminals.

Smart technologies, such as AI and big data, are often utilized by criminals to perpetrate relevant crimes, which can make them more challenging to detect, the statement said.

Procuratorial agencies will enhance communication with the police and strengthen cooperation with financial, telecommunications and market regulation authorities to form a synergy in cracking down on such crimes.