Beijing intensifies crackdown on telecom fraud networks

Beijing has recorded a significant decline in telecom fraud cases, with incidents dropping by 55.4 percent and financial losses down 55.8 percent this year, thanks to sustained anti-fraud efforts, an official from the Beijing Public Security Bureau said on Monday.

Li Xiaoyan, head of the political office of the bureau's criminal investigation department, said at a news conference that police across the city have arrested over 3,600 suspects involved in telecom fraud and dismantled 150 scam rings since the beginning of this year.

As a result of these efforts, police have recovered 289 million yuan ($42.64 million) for victims and prevented economic losses exceeding 3 billion yuan through proactive interventions, effectively safeguarding the public's financial security, Li said.

She cited a case in which police in Dongcheng district targeted an online prostitution-related fraud gang, carrying out coordinated raids on May 19 across Beijing and three other provinces, leading to the arrest and detention of all 23 suspects.

In another case, police in Tongzhou district, following extensive investigation and intelligence coordination, dismantled a remote-control fraud group that allegedly used mobile phone malware to hijack victims' devices, arresting and detaining four suspects in two locations outside Beijing on May 10, she added.

Addressing the evolving tactics of overseas telecom fraud, Xu Xing, head of the cybersecurity management division at the Beijing Communications Administration, said authorities have stepped up the use of technology to counter such crimes.

"We have mobilized the entire industry to strengthen risk warnings for international calls and text messages, while continuously upgrading our technical capabilities," he said.

"When a user receives a fraudulent call or scam text from overseas, service providers send real-time alert messages to warn them," he explained, adding that more than 65.57 million alerts have been issued, helping the public identify suspicious overseas calls.

In addition, Xu said the administration has instructed local telecom operators to send SMS reminders from official customer service numbers, advising users without cross-border communication needs to disable the function allowing overseas calls and messages. So far, over 3.2 million users in Beijing have deactivated this service.

He urged residents to remain cautious of overseas calls and to refuse any requests for money transfers or payments. "If you notice anything suspicious, please report it to the police promptly," he said.