China renews attack on rampant telecoms and online fraud

Name: ‘They will punish you’: Malaysian’s death connected to internet scam in Thailand
Uploaded: 2023-07-30T13:00:13.000Z
Duration: 3 min 52 s
Description: ‘They will punish you’: Malaysian’s death connected to internet scam in Thailand

The head of the country’s top law enforcement body says agencies must hit the perpetrators of such activity hard

Legislation gives police more tools to tackle the activity but there are also complaints about heavy-handed action by authorities

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The head of China’s top law enforcement body says telecoms scams affect “the vital interest of the people”. Photo: Xinhua

Minnie Chan

Published: 9:00pm, 30 Jul 2023

China’s top law enforcement body has put overseas telecoms fraud in its sights, saying the crime is a matter of national security and social stability, according to state media reports.

Addressing a meeting of judges and prosecutors in Beijing, Chen Wenqing, head of the Central Political and Legal Affairs Commission, said all resources should be mobilised to “safeguard the vital interest of the people”.

“[We] must hit hard illegal and criminal activities such as telecommunication network fraud outside the country and criminal activities within the country in accordance with the law,” state news agency Xinhua quoted Chen as saying.

The urgency of the issue was highlighted by the presence at the meeting of Public Security Minister Wang Xiaohong, Supreme People’s Court chief Zhang Jun and Ying Yong, head of the Supreme People’s Procuratorate.

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‘They will punish you’: Malaysian’s death connected to internet scam in Thailand

Wang is the key frontline executor of the country’s Anti-Telecom and Online Fraud Law, legislation passed in December to combat the ever-growing crime.

The new law gives enforcement agencies the power to pursue suspects abroad and enlist telecoms companies and banks to help hunt down scammers.