China Intensifies Anti-Fraud Campaign with Repatriation of Telecom Fraud Suspects

On February 20, 2025, China received the first group of 200 telecom fraud suspects who were repatriated from Myanmar, arriving via Thailand. This event coincides with a newly initiated nationwide anti-fraud awareness campaign spearheaded by the Ministry of Public Security (MPS) and the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee.

The campaign, which aims to run for a month, focuses on raising public awareness about telecom and online fraud. It seeks to bring educational resources into various communities, including rural areas, households, schools, and businesses, thereby creating a well-rounded public awareness network focused on fraud prevention. A partnership with the China Media Group has been established to roll out a legal education program analyzing real-world fraud cases to help disseminate anti-fraud knowledge and expose new scam strategies.

In conjunction with these efforts, the MPS plans to release the 2025 Edition Anti-Telecom Network Fraud Publicity Handbook through its Criminal Investigation Bureau and the National Anti-Fraud Center. The MPS reports significant success in combating fraud in 2024, having solved 294,000 cases and apprehended many suspects, including over 570 key individuals involved in organized crime.

Additionally, law enforcement agencies are taking robust actions against criminal groups that support fraud syndicates operating from abroad by providing various illicit services. Coordinated efforts among government agencies are underway to enhance their regulatory measures and eliminate gaps in enforcement that allow fraud to flourish.

Since the beginning of 2024, the national anti-fraud center has ramped up its use of technology to issue alerts about suspicious fund activities, successfully blocking billions of scam calls and fraudulent messages. Furthermore, the police have conducted multiple interventions to prevent potential scam victims from falling prey to fraudsters. This collaborative and comprehensive approach aims to protect public assets and uphold legal rights effectively.