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Policing telecommunication and cyber fraud: Perceptions and experiences of law enforcement officers in China

Jia Qu ; Hongming Cheng (2024) — Crime, Law and Social Change

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DOI: 10.1007/s10611-024-10143-z (opens in a new tab)

Type:   Journal Article
Country:   China
Tags:   China, Cyber Fraud, Financial Investigation, Pig Butchering, Policing, Prevention, Romance Scams, Telecom Fraud
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Qualitative research
Examines experiences, meanings, or processes, often through interviews or observations. It can explain how something happens without estimating how common it is.
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Synopsis

            
This publication presents a qualitative inquiry into how Chinese law enforcement officers perceive, investigate, and respond to telecommunication and cyber fraud. The authors interview frontline officers to illuminate police views on fraudster characteristics, victim profiles, crime typologies, investigative processes, and the practical measures used to reduce victimization. The study situates its analysis within China’s enforcement architecture, highlighting the Telecommunication and Cyber Fraud Enforcement Teams (TCFETs) and the centralized Chinese Anti-Fraud Centre (CAFC), which coordinate reporting, information sharing, and case management. Findings describe a diverse and evolving fraud landscape observed by officers. They report multiple common schemes, including refund scams, online loan scams, brushing (recruitment-based fraud), romance scams, and investment-related fraud, with officers noting that these types account for a substantial share of incidents and losses in official reporting. The paper also conveys officers’ impressions of fraudsters as organized but variably sophisticated, and it documents perceived victim patterns, such as younger women in certain contexts and middle-aged or wealthier individuals in romance or investment scams. The investigation relies on casework and the money trail, information flow, and technical platform links, while acknowledging constraints in financial investigation, evidence collection, cross-border enforcement, and staffing and training. Limitations acknowledged by the authors include a small, regionally bounded sample of five areas and the qualitative design, which may limit generalizability. The discussion emphasizes policy implications such as expanding public awareness, enhancing interception capabilities, and promoting international and private-sector collaboration, while calling for ongoing training and longitudinal assessment of interventions. The article thus presents a source-grounded, interview-based portrait of China’s anti-fraud policing in the digital era.

          

        
                  

            
Identified Gaps

            
The paper identifies limited research on how law-enforcement agencies and officers perceive and handle telecommunication and cyber fraud. It also notes a relative lack of research on victims' experiences. The study addresses the police-perspective gap but indicates that broader stakeholder perspectives remain needed.

          

        
                  

            
Methods

            
Qualitative thematic analysis of semi-structured interviews with 12 current Chinese Telecommunication and Cyber Fraud Enforcement Team officers. Participants were purposively recruited through professional networks and referrals across five regions. Interviews lasted 60–90 minutes, were conducted in Mandarin, transcribed, translated with back-translation, member-checked, and coded collaboratively using NVivo 12 and paper annotations.

          

        
                  

            
Limitations

            
The study used a small purposive sample of 12 officers from five Chinese regions. Although appropriate for an initial qualitative investigation, findings may not transfer to other law-enforcement contexts. The data reflect officers' accounts rather than those of victims, technology companies, or financial institutions. Data are not publicly available because of ethical considerations.

          

        
                  

            
Future Work

            
Expand and diversify the law-enforcement sample; examine perspectives of victims, technology companies, and financial institutions; and conduct longitudinal studies assessing how interventions and policy changes affect fraud prevalence and patterns over time.

          

              

    
    

        
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