Domestic collaboration, international cooperation key in dismantling overseas hubs, pursuit of suspects

After a wave of paperwork, Chen Zhi, the ringleader of a major cross-border gambling and fraud syndicate, was finally extradited to China from the Cambodian capital Phnom Penh by a task force of the Ministry of Public Security in early January, marking the successful conclusion of China's 2025 campaign against telecom fraud.

Involved in multiple offenses such as illegal casino operation, fraud, illegal business activities, and concealment or disguise of criminal proceeds, other members of Chen's syndicate were also pursued by Chinese police. Relevant cases are under processing.

Telecom and internet fraud has emerged as a global challenge in crime prevention and governance. Chinese authorities adhere to a dual strategy of domestic crackdowns and international cooperation.

READ MORE: Chinese authorities: All Myanmar telecom fraud den suspects repatriated

In response to the complex nature of telecom fraud, which is characterized by its evolving forms, cross-border scope, and industrialized operation, public security agencies have taken the lead in coordinating efforts with justice, finance, communications, and other departments, while partnering with numerous countries worldwide to build a collaborative anti-fraud framework, yielding tangible results.

In this high-stakes cross-border and digital campaign, Chinese authorities cracked 258,000 telecom and online fraud cases last year. In the meantime, a total of 57,000 telecom fraud suspects were repatriated to China.

The authorities also intercepted 3.6 billion fraudulent calls, blocked 3.3 billion scam messages, and froze 217.07 billion yuan ($31.3 billion) in emergency funds. This landmark achievement showcases a multipronged strategy that has become a global model for combating transnational fraud.

The MPS acknowledged that the fraud situation remained severe and complex as early as January 2025. Its spokesperson Zhang Ming stated that such cases remained high-frequency, with telecom and internet fraud a standout major crime featuring high incidence, heavy losses, severe harm, and strong public concern.

These crimes exhibit distinct transnational and organized traits, with fraud groups operating in a highly systematic manner. The leaders and core members instruct domestic personnel to engage in various illegal and criminal activities such as app development, data traffic attraction and promotion, fund transfer and money laundering, she said.

Zhang added that fraudsters closely track social trends and personal preferences, tailoring scams to targets of all ages, professions, and educational backgrounds. While the telecom fraud problem in northern Myanmar has improved significantly, many overseas "tech parks" and "development zones" still serve as dens for such activities.

Besides, fraud groups are also leveraging cutting-edge technologies like blockchain, virtual currencies, and artificial intelligence to upgrade their criminal tools continuously.

To address these challenges, public security authorities have intensified comprehensive international law enforcement cooperation, resolutely dismantling overseas fraud hubs and pursuing key suspects.

In January 2025, the MPS dispatched a delegation to Thailand and Myanmar for talks with local law enforcement, establishing a joint mechanism to combat telecom fraud, human trafficking, and other transnational crimes, laying the groundwork for multilateral cooperation.

Soon, China, Myanmar, and Thailand held a ministerial meeting in Bangkok on Feb 28, agreeing to strengthen joint anti-fraud efforts. From February 20 to mid-March, 2,876 fraud suspects were repatriated from Myanmar via Thailand.

Chinese authorities also enhanced intelligence sharing with Myanmar, helping locate new fraud hubs. Between March 24 and late April, Myanmar launched multiple operations, arresting over 920 Chinese fraud suspects who were subsequently repatriated to China. In July, a second ministerial meeting in Naypyidaw, Myanmar, further deepened law enforcement cooperation, focusing on anti-fraud efforts in regions like Myawaddy.

The MPS also accelerated the establishment of a global anti-telecom fraud alliance at the 2025 Global Public Security Cooperation Forum in Lianyungang, Jiangsu province, in September, forging partnerships with law enforcement agencies from 28 countries across Asia, Europe, and Africa. The alliance aims to standardize information sharing, streamline extradition procedures, and coordinate joint operations against transnational fraud networks.

Through a series of special operations, authorities apprehended 542 kingpins, financiers, and key operatives, including She Zhijiang (also known as Tang Kriang Kai), a Chinese-Cambodian ringleader of a cross-border gambling and fraud syndicate in Myanmar. His criminal empire operated over 200 online platforms and 248 fraud outfits in Myawaddy.

With the cross-border crackdown evolving, China, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam held a meeting in Kunming, Yunnan province, in November last year, signing an agreement to enhance cooperation, with a focus on information sharing, suspect repatriation and the setting up of a regular enforcement mechanism.

On Dec 15, a joint China-Myanmar-Thailand task force inspected anti-fraud efforts in Myawaddy. Subsequent operations led to the repatriation of 952 Chinese suspects and the dismantling of buildings in key fraud hubs, including KK Park and Asia Pacific New City.

In late December, public security organs issued a public warrant for 100 at-large "financial backers" and key members of telecom and internet fraud rings, reaffirming China's resolve to severely crack down on such crimes.

Bilateral cooperation has also expanded beyond Southeast Asia. MPS data shows that in recent years, China has collaborated with Spain, the United Arab Emirates, and other countries to repatriate thousands of telecom fraud suspects.

Domestic Governance

Domestic cyber black-gray industries act as the "accomplices" of telecom fraud. They supply fraud rings with key resources like personal data, bulk-registered social accounts, mobile phone numbers and bank accounts, business licenses and corporate accounts, enabling identity concealment and regulatory evasion.

Additionally, some drive traffic for fraud on various platforms and promote scam scripts to expand coverage. Others launder proceeds via numerous personal accounts or convert illicit funds into virtual currencies for cross-border transfers, dodging fund supervision and tracking.

Targeting such illegal networks, Chinese authorities in 2025 ordered in-depth investigations, and successive cluster and regional operations, to clean up fraud-linked activities, including promotion, money transfer and laundering.

Front-line operations exemplified this resolve. In May, the police of Hongkou district, Shanghai, uncovered a telecom fraud ring led by a suspect named Wang. Posing as an external instructor at a local college, Wang lured students to register and activate phone cards, then had them assist overseas fraud groups by "driving traffic" for telecom scams.

The "traffic driving" method involved using one phone to connect with the overseas fraud group via a messaging app on speakerphone, while another newly registered phone called the victim, also on speakerphone, enabling the fraud group to communicate with the victim remotely.

The task force launched an operation and arrested 15 suspects, including Wang, in early June. Wang confessed that he communicated with the overseas fraud group via a messaging app and charged 1,000 yuan per hour for his services. By the time of his arrest, he had earned over 20,000 yuan. His media company was a shell company, created to purchase phone cards and allow him to pose as an external instructor at the school.

Complementing law enforcement actions was a large-scale prevention campaign. Police conducted 6.75 million face-to-face warnings for potential victims and tightened border controls to curb illegal migration to overseas fraud hubs.

In response to fraud groups' adoption of advanced technologies such as blockchain, AI deepfakes, and GOIP (GSM Over Internet Protocol) call-forwarding systems, Chinese authorities deployed matching countermeasures. The MPS utilized federal computing and privacy-preserving technologies to share data across agencies securely, resolving the "information silo" issue that hindered previous efforts.

Cui Xiandong, an expert from the Information and Communications Industry Anti-Fraud Center under the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology, noted that to counter evolving fraud techniques, such as AI deepfakes and mass-produced fraudulent apps, the communications industry has introduced key tools like app anti-fraud certification, which reduced fraud by up to 90 percent in pilot tests.

The "anti-fraud business card" service provides authoritative identification for blocking fraudulent calls, with public security authorities issuing an average of 550,000 daily reminders. Efforts also focus on targeting devices supporting fraud-related communications.

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"These initiatives are central to building a robust anti-fraud system and advancing the goal of a 'fraud-free world'," Cui said. He added that preventing online fraud requires societal participation, noting that the industry has launched a series of tools in recent years to form a comprehensive anti-fraud system covering risk warnings, governance, technological defenses, and public services.

Xie Shu, a professor from the China University of Political Science and Law in Beijing, stated during an event in 2025 that contemporary telecom fraud rings have evolved beyond small-scale, full-service operations. Instead, they have developed cross-platform, specialized division-of-labor chains, and they conduct targeted lead generation on one platform, then sell these "potential victims" as commodities to fraud-perpetrating rings on other platforms.

Perpetrators take advantage of information asymmetry, time lags and regulatory gaps between different platforms to carry out their criminal activities. This emerging trend has imposed new requirements on cross-platform collaborative governance, he said.

Contact the writers at yangzekun@chinadaily.com.cn