Beijing prosecutors crack down on rising cyber fraud cases

Beijing prosecutors have solved 8,203 cases related to cyber crimes since 2021, with a rise of those involving fraud caused by online investments, the capital's top procuratorate said on Tuesday.

As the city has embraced a rapid growth of internet finance in the digital economic age, a number of fake investments have been emerging, resulting in new types of fraud rising, according to the Beijing People's Procuratorate.

"Some people were found to have defrauded others through fake investment applications, fake Foreign Exchange Trading platforms and fake, deceptive future investment services," the procuratorate said, adding, "such fraud in the name of online investments has seriously damaged people's property safety."

In a case solved by prosecutors in Dongcheng district, for example, two defendants who are identified by their surnames, Liang and Li, established and operated a fake online trading platform for purchasing precious commodities, such as jade, from May to June 2022.

The platform attracted and convinced a total of 131 people, and helped Liang and Li receive profits of more than 250,000 yuan ($35,000).

In February, Liang and Li were charged with the crime of organizing pyramid sales by the district's prosecutors.

A month later, Liang was sentenced to three years and 10 months in prison for the crime, and Li was sentenced to three years and six months for the same charge. They were also ordered to pay fines.

Data released by the Beijing People's Procuratorate also showed on Tuesday that since 2021, about 11,625 people have been accused of cyber crimes, with major charges including telecom fraud, infringement of personal information and sabotage of computer information systems.