Increasing involvement of highly educated criminals such as those with a bachelor’s degree or master’s degree
Chinese prosecutors announced on the 30th of last month that they have indicted more than 34,000 online fraudsters this year.
According to China’s Supreme People’s Procuratorate, more than 34,000 people were indicted for telecommunications network fraud across the country from January to October this year. This is a 52% increase compared to the same period last year.
The prosecutor’s office explained that criminals are mainly characterized by age, income, and low level of education, but the number of cases involving highly educated people is increasing. Among those indicted by prosecutors nationwide in the first quarter of this year for participating in, aiding, and concealing online fraud, more than 7,600 had doctoral degrees and more than 5,900 had master’s degrees.
The prosecutor’s office also revealed some cases of online fraud. According to the Global Times, in 2020, seven Chinese people who infiltrated Myanma, saying they wanted a romantic relationship, lured victims to a gambling site and stole 8.4 million yuan (about 1.5 billion won) from a total of 26 people. They were sentenced to up to 4 years and 6 months in prison and a fine by a Shanghai court.
Recently, China has been actively cracking down on online fraud. Last month, Chinese public security authorities strengthened cooperation with their Myanmar counterparts to crack down on online fraud in northern Myanmar. As a result, several fraud instigators were arrested and handed over to China, and some of the fraud instigators committed suicide after being arrested.
Since most of the suspects involved in online fraud are overseas, Chinese law enforcement agencies are facing difficulties in collecting evidence, confiscating assets, and arresting criminals. “Websites, servers, and storage media are also located overseas,” Zhu Wei, deputy director of the Communications Law Research Center at China University of Political Science and Law, told the Global Times.
The prosecutor’s office said, “We will thoroughly investigate clues to the case, focusing on major regions, groups, and important cases, and strongly crack down on the organizers, leaders, and masterminds of overseas fraud groups.”
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.