China is aiming to ‘severely crack down’ on telecom fraud conducted abroad ‘and impose severe penalties on co-perpetrators operator at home soil’, according to state media. The move comes in response to various telecom, online gambling and crypto scam hubs popping up throughout Southeast Asia, oftentimes linked to Chinese operators.
The news comes after a key meeting of the Commission for Political and Legal Affairs of the Communist Party of China (CPC) on Saturday.
The group highlighted cases in neighboring Myanmar – including kidnapping, human trafficking, illegal immigration and even murder, with a recent report finding some 1,200 people seeking assistance after being ‘trapped’ in the country’. Global Times cites a report noting that six have already been returned to their families in China.
Chinese and Burmese authorities met last week to discuss border measures, while joint operations are also being conducting with Thailand.
Myanmar and China are now seeking to establish a “regular cooperation mechanism to deter wrongdoers involved in fraud and gambling activities within Myanmar’s borders’.
Chinese authorities note that last year alone they launched 464,000 cases against telecom fraud, arresting 351 ‘key members and leaders of criminal groups.
