EJ Insight » Hong KongToday, 4:07 PM
Scam calls made overseas display local numbers (left). Right photo shows electronic devices seized during a raid in Indonesia. Photos: Headline Daily, http://news.ifeng.com/
Phone scammers are relocating to Europe, the Caribbean and small African countries after the arrest of hundreds of suspects in Indonesia and Cambodia.
They operate with undiminished impunity from their new bases, according to Sing Tao Daily.
Developing countries in Europe such as Armenia, the Dominican Republic in the Caribbean and small nationsin Africa are relocation targets because of their weak security infrastructure.
The syndicates are moving their operations after 392 suspects were arrested on Oct. 29 in a joint operation by law enforcement agencies from mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Indonesia and Cambodia.
The suspects were from the mainland and Taiwan.
Scam calls from Indonesia have stopped since the raids, a Shanghai security official said.
Indonesia accounts for a fifth of such calls into China.
The syndicates continue to hire callers from the mainland and Taiwan, making them difficult to track.
At least four Sing Tao Daily reporters said they were contacted by suspected scammers claiming to be officials from Beijing’s Liaison Office and the Hong Kong government.
The calls were made overseas but displayed local numbers, they said.
Police sources in the mainland and Hong Kong said they have traced some of the calls.
A multinational task force will be launched anytime soon to go after the scammers.
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