Scam suspects prosecuted for death of telecom fraud victim

Seven telecom fraud suspects have been prosecuted for causing the death of a university candidate in August last year, the Supreme People's Procuratorate announced on Thursday.

Xu Yuyu, 18, a resident of Shandong province, died of cardiac arrest after losing 9,900 yuan ($1,440) of her tuition money to the telecom scammers.

The suspects were found to have swindled student financial aid from students in impoverished families throughout the country, according to the prosecutors in Shandong province.

Xu, a resident of Linyi, Shandong province, was admitted to Nanjing University of Posts and Telecommunications last year.

On Aug 19, she received a phone call from an unknown person notifying her that she would receive 2,600 yuan in student aid. She had received a phone call from an education authority the day before, so her family did not question the authenticity of the call.

After the call, Xu wired a 9,900-yuan "activation fee" into the scammer's bank account as instructed, hoping the student aid money would be deposited into her student account, but it turned out to be a scam.

The family immediately reported the fraudulent activity to local police, and Xu was said to be devastated. On their way home from police station, she collapsed and was taken to hospital. After medical rescue, she died two days later.