18 Million Websites! 

The latest article we can find, dated 31MAY2024, quotes Li Guozhong ( 李国中 ) the Spokesman for China’s Ministry of Pubic Security describing their successes over the past five years.  In 2021, they established a National Anti-Fraud Center which sent out 660 million notices and were able to help stop fraud against 18.44 million people. This most recent article, which is focused on fraud and doesn’t mention gambling at all, says that they have “handled 18 million domain names and websites.”  That’s a machine translation of ( 处置涉案域名网址1800万个 ).  I can confirm the 18 million … written as 1800 ten thousands – 1800万个.  Handled is perhaps better rendered “disposed of” 处置  (Chǔzhì).  Still unsure how to interpret 域名 ( Yùmíng – Domain name) 网址 (Wǎngzhǐ – website), but I think for now, I’m going to assume it means “URLs” or “FQDNs” as opposed to only registered domains 

The US Institute of Peace report estimates that there are as many as 500,000 scammers deployed in the region, earning potentially $64 Billion per year in fraud. The methodology they used for this calculation came from the UNODC report above. On p. 55 of that report, the UN said that they estimated each scammer was earning between $300 and 400 per day, and that they believed there were 80,000 to 100,000 scammers working six days per week in one unnamed Mekong country.  Using that estimate, they gave a “range” of $7.5 Billion to $12.5 billion in scam revenue for that country.  These numbers were calculated consistently with a Chinese MPS report about an initiative they called “Operation Chain Break” which estimated that scam compounds, including gambling and cyber scams, were generating $157 Billion per year. 

China’s Ministry of Public Security is actively conducting military style raids to help recover these fraud suspects from northern Myanmar, where China shares a long border with the country, which remains deeply embroiled in a state of civil war. MPS is also working collectively with other Southeast Asian countries and says it has “destroyed 37 overseas fraud dens.” 

China Launches Month of National Anti-Fraud Action

Today (24JUN2024) China launched a new month-long “National Anti-Fraud Action” with a nation-wide campaign that declares “Beware of new fraud methods and don’t be a tool for telecom fraud.”  The campaign uses what China calls a “Five-In” approach, meaning that Chinese citizens will see and spread anti-fraud messages in Communities, Rural Areas, Families, Schools, and Businesses.  Students will be provided materials to share with their families, Employees will be encouraged to share anti-fraud messages and materials with their families and communities, and Chinese Communist Party offices in rural areas and civic organizations will make sure the message is spread in those areas as well. The materials being prepared will be written separately to address the awareness needs of merchants, accounting personnel, minors, and the elderly, describing each fraud typology and helping to describe methods to safeguard from these typologies. A major objective will also be to help understand how to avoid becoming a “tool” or an “accomplice” of these fraud rings, who prey on the financially vulnerable to help them launder the proceeds of their crime.  The Ministry of Public Security will jointly publish the “Overseas Telecom Network Fraud Prevention Handbook with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Education to help improve prevention awareness especially for overseas students and diaspora Chinese communities. Major news media and new media platforms will continuously feature anti-fraud reports to strengthen and educate the public on fraud prevention and “continue to set off a new wave of anti-fraud among the whole people the whole society.” 

Gee, doesn’t that sound like REACT’s Erin West and Operation Shamrock — but with the full cooperation of the Government and Society? 

The announcement of the month of National Anti-Fraud Action concludes with some more recent statistics about the work of the National Anti-Fraud Center.  Just since 2023, today’s report says that they have: