Authorities declare war on cybercriminals

Modern methods

Swindlers make use of blockchain, digital currencies, artificial intelligence, remote control screen-sharing and other tools and methods to maintain their networks, evade detection and commit crimes.

Earlier this month, police in Shanghai carried out investigations to combat the activities of people, such as the three young men, who set up devices to provide voice-calling technical services for groups who commit fraud.

On Dec 9, police in Shanghai's Fengxian district learned that the three young men had rented a farmer's cottage and registered and installed four network cables. The men were detained when officers raided the property and discovered a number of devices used to facilitate fraudulent activities.

The men admitted that they contacted swindlers overseas on the internet. They agreed to apply for network cables and set up voice-gateway equipment. In return, the swindlers would pay 2,000 yuan a day to use the equipment for 8 hours per session.

"Fraud groups are well-organized and have a clear division of labor, and their criminal chains often involve multiple industries and different regions or countries. The group's main members usually live overseas and use high payments to lure and recruit inexperienced young people to engage in fraudulent activities in China or other countries," Jiang said.

Using chat software overseas, the group leader directs domestic personnel to engage in the development, production and promotion of apps to buy and sell personal information, and engage in money transfers and laundering, he said.