Chinese police detain 31 suspects in telecom, online fraud

NANJING - Police in the city of Huaian, East China's Jiangsu province, have detained 31 suspects over a suspected telecom and online fraud, which swindled more than 900,000 yuan (about $130,288).

Last July, a victim surnamed Liu reported to the local police that he had been cheated through telecom fraud involving a girl he met online.

Liu said he established a romantic relationship with the girl after twelve days of chatting online. Liu sent 1,000 yuan to an investment platform that the girl recommended and it showed that he had earned 5,000 yuan in less than a week.

The victim was then asked to pay service fees for withdrawal of the earnings. After paying the fee, however, Liu didn't receive any money and his online girlfriend also disappeared.

After a thorough investigation, the police made arrests in Shenzhen and Beijing as well as in the provinces of Henan and Hubei, detaining a total of 31 suspects.

Police said the scammers, disguised as young girls, used social media to establish romantic relationships online. They win the trust of victims, then ask them to invest in fake platforms.

Further investigation is underway.