12 common methods of telecommunication fraud

1. Entertainment program prize-winning fraud

【Common forms】

“Hello, you’re the lucky person of XXX program, please click and find out how to receive your awards.”

Criminals may send text messages to victims in the name of some popular program, lying that you have been selected as a lucky person to have won huge prizes, which will be followed by requirements of handling fees, deposit or individual income tax, or induction of remitting money to their designated bank accounts.

2. Card-swiping consumption fraud

【Common forms】

“Hello, your personal information has leaked out and your fund needs to be transferred to a secure account.”

Criminals may send mass text messages, posing as staff of Union Pay Center or the public security bureau to set up a series of traps, demanding that the money in your bank should be transferred into the so-called “security account”, or arbitraged your bank account and password to commit a crime, on the pretext of your personal information leakage.

3. Grants, aid, scholarship fraud

【Common forms】

“Excuse me, is this the parent of XXX? Your grant has been approved, please tell me your bank card number.”

Criminals may call or send messages to parents of impoverished students or poverty-stricken people in the name of staff members of civil affairs, federation of disabled persons and other units, falsely claiming that they can receive subsidies, grants, aids or scholarships. Next, the criminals may request bank card number and ask the victims to check the receipt of funds through the English interface of the ATM and transfer their money.

4. Ticket change fraud

【Common forms】

“Your flight has been cancelled due to the weather. Please click on the following link …”

Criminals may pose as airline customer service in the name of “flight cancellation, refund, and ticket changing services” to induce ticket purchasers to make numerous remittances, constituting a serial fraud.

5. Refund fraud

【Common forms】

“Your order on this website is out of stock for the time being. Please provide us with your bank card number and other information for the convenience of your refund.”

Criminals may impersonate online shopping platform customer service personnel by making phone calls or sending short messages, claiming that the goods you’ve purchased are out of stock and a refund is available, thus requiring your bank card number, password and other personal information.

6. Message Fraud Posed as Landlord

【Common forms】

“XXX, sorry to bother you. I’ve recently applied for a new bank card, please transfer rent to this card.”

Criminals may masquerade as landlords and send mass text messages, claiming that their bank cards have been changed and demanding for subsequent rents to be transferred into another designated account.