1,530 arrested in crackdown on spam
Print Edition
A NATIONWIDE crackdown on illegal mobile stations, which block cellphone signals and send out spam messages, has resulted in the destruction of 24 manufacturing centers, the confiscation of over 2,600 pieces of equipment and the arrest of 1,530 suspects, according to Xinhuanet.
The crackdown was a joint operation by nine government departments including the industrial and commercial bureau, the quality inspection bureau and the police.
The illegal mobile stations are usually placed in cars near commercial centers, airports, and other public venues where large crowds gather and send out advertisements or fraudulent messages designed to harvest personal information such as bank accounts and passwords.
An illegal base station transmits signals that break the normal connections of cellphone users and their service provider. The source number of the messages can appear genuine — such as 10086 (China Mobile’s service number), 95555 (China Merchants Bank’s number) or the numbers of government departments so as to deceive those who receive them.
The equipment is available from 20,000 yuan (US$3,225) via online shops and it can send as many as 40,000 spam text messages an hour to cellphone users, according to a CCTV report.
Some operators charge 100 yuan for sending 10,000 advertisements, which is considered cheaper and more effective than legal methods.
In a recent case in Yizheng in east China’s Jiangsu Province, a cellphone user surnamed Hu received a message from what she believed to be the local social security bureau. The message said Hu’s 4,000 yuan subsidy was about to expire soon and she should phone a certain number.
After confirming that the number the message came from was that of the local social security bureau, Hu called the number provided and followed the instructions she was given. Later she found that 19,000 yuan had been taken from her bank account.
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