Chinese police will maintain harsh response to telecommunications fraud, and keep up international law enforcement cooperation to dismantle fraud dens abroad and hunt down major fugitives, said Zhang Ming, spokeswoman of the Ministry of Public Security.

Zhang, who made the remarks at a news conference on Friday, said the situation of telecommunications fraud "remains serious and complicated".

The offenses are usually carried out by highly organized groups, some of which place their lower-level members under false imprisonment through violence, Zhang said.

The fraudsters have sped up creating new schemes to cheat people of different ages, engaging in different professions and with different academic backgrounds, Zhang said, adding that they are using emerging technologies, such as blockchain, virtual currency and artificial intelligence to upgrade their tools.

The spokeswoman's remarks came as the public is getting increasingly alarmed by the frequent occurrence of telecommunications fraud in recent years.

China's Ministry of Public Security launched a special campaign in July 2023 to crack down on telecommunications fraud organizations in northern Myanmar targeting Chinese people.

By the end of 2024, the Chinese police have captured more than 53,000 Chinese suspects, dismantling all major fraud dens in northern Myanmar near China's border.

Despite the progress made, there is still a large number of so-called "science and technology parks" and "development zones" overseas housing the fraudsters, Zhang said.

The ministry has said fraudsters are relocating to other areas in Myanmar, including Myawaddy, because of the special campaign.

Many telecommunications fraud groups stationed abroad also have members in China, who are directed by the group leaders to develop smartphone applications for committing fraud and to launder money, according to Zhang.

The police will continue its operations to crack down on money laundering and other illegal businesses in China which are linked to telecommunications fraud, and enhance alert to prevent Chinese people from being defrauded of their money, Zhang said.

In another development, Zhang briefed the press about the progress made in addressing cyberbullying, saying that police across the country handled more than 8,600 such cases last year.

They have focused on outstanding issues, including text bombing, making up scandalous rumors about someone, and disclosing someone's privacy online and instigating the public to bully them.

The police took criminal coercive measures against more than 2,500 people, and imposed administrative punishment on more than 8,500, Zhang said, adding that they will continue to crack down on crimes related to cyberbullying.

wangqingyun@chinadaily.com.cn