China moves to protect seniors from fraud

BEIJING -- Zhang Siqi's mother received a cash-on-delivery package for him when he wasn't home and paid 138 yuan. Not until Zhang opened it later and only saw a T-shirt he did not order did he realize it was a scam.

When the mother and son thought they could never take back the money, the anti-fraud app launched by the public security authorities popped up in his head.

Using the reporting system in the app, Zhang soon received calls from the delivery company and the e-commerce platform, which had frozen the sender's account, and the money was returned in full.

The anti-fraud app is one of the moves taken by Chinese authorities to prevent residents, especially the elderly, from falling prey to various scams that have risen in the digital age.

Zhao Wei, an officer with the crime investigation unit of the Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau, said the app has a comprehensive alert platform filled with a fraud-related database built by public security authorities.

The app sends an alert text immediately after the phone it is installed on receives a suspected fraudulent message or call or opens such web links.

Promoting the app is part of broader efforts to protect the country's elderly population from crimes of this kind.

China launched a six-month nationwide campaign in April, in which over 7,500 individuals have been arrested for fraud targeting the elderly. The crimes varied in form, but most involved illegal fundraising or fake or substandard products.

Handbooks have been published by relevant authorities and organizations to guard senior citizens against scams by explaining various deceitful tricks and listing real fraud cases; traditional performing arts shows for senior citizens also warn them about various forms of fraud through media familiar to them; and banks were required to double-check remittances and transfers made by the seniors and tellers received training on dissuading them from wiring money to unfamiliar accounts.

Observers say as China works to provide better services for the elderly to ensure their happy twilight years, it will adopt even stricter measures to combat crimes endangering the well-being of senior citizens.