China fights back against SMS scammers

China is taking an official stand against mobile phone scam-artists who offer everything from sexual services to contract killings via Short Message Service (SMS).

“Illegal short messages have become a major cause of damage to social order,” says Wu Heping of the Ministry of Public Security in Beijing.

Wu promises to work with the Ministry of Information, to help restore the social order and put an end to messages that trick people into relinquishing personal account information or offer sexual services, gambling, contract murders, gun sales, fake lotteries, and more.

One message that made the round of Chinese mobile phones read, ”Our company provides the following services: fake certifications, sales of smuggled cars, counterfeit money and drugs and private investigating.” One-stop shopping to say the least.

Nine scams by one crafty group duped more than 1 million yuan ($123,695 USD) from victims in just under 20 days, Wu says.

The ministry has launched a campaign that encourages victims to report short message fraud to the police, who in turn work with Chinese telecom to shut down the illegal numbers.

SMS is an extremely popular activity among the Chinese who sent a total 217.7 billion messages last year. With Wu’s help, that number may not be as high next year, but at least the social order will be restored.