Despite repeated warnings, swindlers continue to use cell phone
text messages to rip off unsuspecting local residents, and police
don't know how to solve the problem.
The Shanghai Public Security Bureau held its third news
conference in eight months yesterday to warn city residents to be
wary of any SMS message that encourages them to call a phone number
and give out personal information, such as bank card pin
numbers.
While fewer than 100 SMS scams were reported last year, a police
hot line has heard an average of 1,000 complaints about fraudulent
text messages every day this year, according to Yang Weigen, vice
director of the General Team of Shanghai Criminal
Investigation.
Most of the scams attempt to convince gullible locals to
transfer money from their bank accounts to the swindler's account
by bank machine or in person.
Police wouldn't say yesterday how many cases they are
investigating, or how many people have been arrested for
involvement in such scams.
Many of the schemes follow a similar plan as the one used to
dupe a victim surnamed Jin last fall.
On October 31, Jin received a text message saying his bankcard
was used to make a 3,000 yuan (US$370) purchase at the New World
Department Store.
Jin then dialed a phone number listed in the message to report
that he hadn't been shopping at the store.
After talking to a man posing as "police officer Chen Yang" from
the "anti-fraud department" and another man calling himself Dean Li
who claimed to work for the Shanghai Finance Administration, Jin
was convinced that someone was embezzling money from his bank
account and was persuaded to transfer 270,000 yuan into a new
account.
"Dean Li told him to input a 19-figure code that could ensure
the security of the new bankcard through an ATM and warned him not
to use the card until a week later," Yang said, explaining the pin
number was actually the suspect's bank account number.
On November 3, Jin checked his bank account and found it only
contained about 1,000 yuan.
Another two victims identified as Wu and Lin were involved in
similar schemes and defrauded out of 23,900 yuan and 125,000 yuan
respectively.
(Shanghai Daily January 25, 2006)