Public warned to stay away from overseas fraudsters

Public security authorities in Yunnan province warned residents in a letter against dangerous overseas telecommunication fraudsters who promise high-paying employment but actually pose a physical threat.

"Once you are smuggled overseas, you will be sold as goods and taken into custody by telecommunication fraud and gambling gangs and beaten by them," said the letter, which was sent by the public security bureau of Nanhua county, Chuxiong Yi autonomous prefecture.

The letter advised people not to believe recruitment advertisements promising high salaries or any video invitation from friends to go overseas illegally.

"Online gambling is a trap set by foreign criminal gangs. You will not only lose money, but also commit crimes and be dealt with according to the law," it said.

The public security bureau of Luquan county said that once people are tricked into associating with gangs, they will be sold like "piglets" if they cannot pay the ransom or complete the task.

They will be tortured and could even be killed, the letter warned.

A public letter sent by the Kunming anti-telecommunication and online fraud center said the number of telecommunication fraud cases from overseas accounted for 21.4 percent of the total fraud cases in the city last year.

To reduce the number of overseas fraud cases, residents should disable their mobile phones' ability to receive calls from overseas unless they have legitimate business interactions, the letter said.

The anti-fraud center of the public security bureau of Baoshan county said people who are tricked may be forced to learn fraud tricks and complete tasks for the gang involving large amounts of money.

If they cannot complete the tasks, they will be starved, beaten or subjected to torture. If they want to return to China, they need to pay hundreds of thousands of yuan as ransom, the center said.