Intl alliance forged to fight telecom fraud

A new intergovernmental alliance for countering cross-border telecom and cyber fraud was established on Thursday, with the primary objective of promoting closer cooperation and better operational coordination among law enforcement agencies to tackle these transnational crimes more effectively.

Initiated by China, the International Alliance Combating Telecom and Cyber Fraud was inaugurated during the 2026 Conference of the Global Public Security Cooperation Forum in Lianyungang, Jiangsu province. Representatives from 46 founding countries, 34 observer countries and four international organizations, including the United Nations and Interpol, attended the conference.

Representatives from China and other founding members, such as Vietnam, Laos, Kenya, Cambodia, Pakistan and Russia, addressed the gathering, while a representative from Interpol delivered a congratulatory message.

The participants welcomed China's initiative to establish the alliance and recognized its significance in safeguarding global public security. They also issued a joint statement, saying that telecom and cyber fraud has become a global challenge requiring stronger international cooperation.

According to the statement, establishing a more focused, professional, efficient and action-oriented intergovernmental alliance based on international conventions will help coordinate efforts to combat telecom and cyber fraud, as well as related crimes, and protect the security and legitimate rights and interests of individuals, legal entities and other organizations.

Andy Tsang Wai-hung, chair of the Global Public Security Cooperation Forum (Lianyungang), said that while existing international and regional law enforcement cooperation mechanisms remain important, the rapidly evolving nature of telecom fraud has raised the demand for more specialized and responsive forms of cooperation.

A dedicated alliance will provide greater focus, faster coordination and stronger cooperation while complementing existing mechanisms, Tsang said, adding that the idea proposed at last year's conference was realized this year, reflecting the forum's broader effort to turn consensus into practical cooperation.

Highlighting the urgency of forming the new intergovernmental mechanism, Hamish McCardle, former assistant commissioner of New Zealand Police, said that telecom and cyber fraud operated from overseas scam centers has been plaguing his country for at least a decade.

What conventionally began with just phone calls has now shifted to text messages and online messaging platforms, where the scammers are able to better manipulate potential victims through long-drawn conversations, McCardle pointed out.

He said that international cooperation has become essential because the perpetrators and the victims usually belong to different countries.

A dedicated alliance will help bridge the jurisdictional gap often exploited by criminals, prevent crimes, hold offenders accountable and reduce the number of victims, he added.

McCardle identified "speed and trust" as two major challenges in cross-border law enforcement. A crime usually takes place before police and judicial agencies can respond, and formal agreements alone cannot guarantee effective cooperation, he said, calling for stronger working relationships and trust among nations to help existing mechanisms achieve desired results.

Zafar Uddin Mahmood, Pakistani prime minister's special representative to China and president of the Pakistan-based think tank Understanding China Conference, said telecom fraud has become more prevalent in Pakistan in recent years, with several cases involving perpetrators from other countries.

"This has become an international problem," Mahmood said, emphasizing the need for collective response.

Pakistan could learn from China's anti-fraud and public awareness campaigns, he said, underlining the need for broader public participation, as well as international law enforcement cooperation, to combat cross-border telecom and cyber fraud.

Mahmood added that Pakistan will actively participate in the new alliance and share its experience in dealing with complex security challenges.

Collective solutions

Mohamed Higazy, adviser to Egypt's minister of local development for international cooperation, said relevant countries need to work together to tackle telecom and cyber fraud, drug trafficking and other transnational crimes. Transborder challenges require collective solutions, he said, adding that no country could effectively combat such threats alone.

China's push for a dedicated international mechanism builds on years of domestic crime prevention and cross-border law enforcement cooperation.

In the first half of 2026, the number of telecom fraud cases registered in the country dropped 15.6 percent year-on-year. The number of such cases also declined continuously for 11 consecutive months since October. Meanwhile, authorities conducted 2.93 million in-person interventions to warn potential victims.

China has also carried out international law enforcement cooperation with more than 40 countries, including Spain, the United Arab Emirates and Myanmar, establishing mechanisms and conducting joint efforts against cross-border telecom fraud.

Representatives at Thursday's conference noted that China's experience increasingly combines enforcement with prevention, from pursuing suspects and dismantling criminal networks to warning victims before money changed hands.