Phone scammers often pose as mainland Chinese officials, including police officers. (Photo : Reuters)
Telecom fraud has become an increasing crime in China to the extent that police have handled 16,708 cases, apprehended 5,825 suspects, and busted 927 gangs since the campaign targeting new forms of telecom fraud started on Oct. 30, 2015.
Meng Jianzhu, China's security chief, called for collective responsibility among agencies and other nations to crack down on telecom fraud, according to the Global Times. Meng said this during a conference on Thursday, Jan. 21.
It is unbelievable to think that Li Shufang (pseudonym), aged 27 and a mother of three, had a different identity: a beautiful, rich, and slender woman. Through her soft voice, Li has seduced a number of men in an attempt to swindle money from them via the phone. The police arrested her for defrauding people pretending to be a beautiful, wealthy woman ready to pay a man to impregnate her, a common telecom scam.
Li only needed a cell phone that can change a caller's voice, a script, and a credit card.
Talking to China Newsweek, she said, "All these only cost 200 yuan ($30)."
Apparently, Li learned about this fraud through an advertisement she saw posted in her village looking for apprentices. She called the number on the ad and a young man quickly delivered all tools.
At first, Li spent 500 yuan to deliver texts to thousands of phones, which read: "I am a 30-year-old 165 centimeter-tall woman. I am pale, beautiful, and attractive. After marrying a rich businessman in Hong Kong who is infertile, I am seeking a considerate, healthy, and honorable man to get me pregnant. Please call me. If I am satisfied, I will first give you 300,000 yuan. If I get pregnant, I will give you another 1.5 million yuan."
Li was nervous at first, but she gained courage and skill after talking to a number of people. She would first test the sincerity of men by ask for 300 yuan from them, and then ask for more money needed to buy jewelry, clothes, cover legal fees, and pay rent. She pretended to be a lawyer to convince her victims.
Li said: "They believed me when I said a bunch of words. [They fell into her trap] because they are too greedy."
Li defrauded about 200,000 yuan from victims in Anhui, Jiangsu and Yunnan Provinces between Jan. and Nov. 2015, according to the police report.
There is a complete chain of such fraud business formed in Shixi. While some were responsible for posting advertisements, others dealt with making phone calls and others deposited money.
More than 360 people in Shixi and nearby villages have been arrested for telecom fraud since 2010 and the victims came from over 20 provinces and regions.
