Online, telecom fraud on the rise in Beijing

More than 40 million yuan ($5.87 million) worth of fraud cases involving over 1,900 victims have been dealt with by the capital's courts over the past three years, it was revealed on Friday.

In that time, courts at all levels have handed down sentences ranging from eight months to 20 years in jail to 326 defendants, Beijing High People's Court said in a statement.

Most were either convicted of forgery, identity theft or misuse of telecommunications equipment.

"Crimes related to telecoms scams or online fraud have risen 20 to 30 percent every year since 2013, and brought great economic losses to residents," said Luo Pengfei, a judge with the criminal tribunal of the high people's court.

"Those defendants who repeatedly offended or led an organization to cheat others were given the heaviest penalties, to thoroughly root out their fraud links."

Luo said that residents could protect themselves by verifying the identity of any stranger who calls.

"If a caller says he or she works for legal authorities or governmental departments, which we often see in telecom scams, it is better to verify what they have said with the related authority," he said.

Residents were also advised to be careful when clicking links in text messages, especially ones mentioning prizes, so as to avoid economic losses.