Local action needed in cat-and-mouse game

The Central Political and Legal Work Conference held in Beijing from Sunday to Monday urged law enforcement and judicial departments to take more concrete measures to crack down on telecommunication frauds and other crimes that pose immediate threats to people's life and property.

Criminal gangs engaged in telecom frauds have developed a complete industry chain spanning China, Myanmar, Thailand and the Philippines, and other countries. Under the cover of "information service industry", there are telecom fraud "industry parks" on a large scale in some Southeast Asian countries operated by Chinese people and their local accomplices.

The victims are mostly Chinese living on the Chinese mainland. The fraudsters take advantage of leaked personal information to fabricate various kinds of customized cheating, ranging from e-commerce "refunds" and freezing accounts to combat money laundering to making investments and fake cyber romances, to ensnare their prey with the purpose of wiring money to their accounts.