Busting of telecom fraud gang a major victory

Telecom fraud suspects are handed over to Chinese police in Lincang, Yunnan province. (Photo/China Daily)

Shortly after the Chinese police disclosed the identity of four major criminal suspects of Chinese nationality behind a large-scale telecom fraud gang that has been active in the border region on the Myanmar side, which is responsible for many telecom fraud cases in China in recent years, the police of Myanmar captured three of them and handed them over on Nov. 16. The other one reportedly committed suicide in Myanmar for fear of punishment.

The arrest of the three telecom fraud ringleaders marks major progress in the anti-telecom fraud cooperation between the two countries, and shows the Chinese authorities' resolve to address the problem that has been a major complaint of people for years.

Up to now, with the unremitting efforts of the Chinese and Myanmar police, 4,666 telecom fraud criminal suspects of Chinese nationality have been handed over to the Chinese side from Myanmar. Most of them used to work for the aforementioned gang, or were related to its criminal activities.

At the same time, the domestic anti-telecom fraud protection network is also becoming more and more firmly woven. The Ministry of Public Security, together with the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and the People's Bank of China, have jointly launched several anti-telecom fraud tools such as the national anti-telecom fraud center app, 96110 telecom fraud early-warning and hotline and 12381 anti-telecom fraud short messaging service system.

On Nov 13, the Ministry of Public Security and relevant departments published the draft joint punishment measures for telecom fraud and related crimes to solicit opinions from the public. The measures clarify that, apart from criminal liability, telecom fraudsters and their accomplices are also subject to administrative punishments.

The number of telecom fraud cases and the property losses have decreased by 24 percent and 20.5 percent respectively in China since August compared with the same period last year thanks to the efforts.

The arrest of the three ringleaders does not mean the end of the anti-telecom fraud work. But with more international cooperation, countries can ensure that no country is a safe haven for telecom fraudsters.