China detains 1,530 in telecom spam crackdown

A total of 1,530 suspects have been detained in a crackdown by Chinese authorities against crimes using fake telecommunication base stations.

The campaign, which began in February, has also seen the closure of 24 production sites of illegal base station equipment, the seizure of 2,600 such devices and the identification of 3,540 cases involving suspected crimes, said a statement issued by the Ministry of Public Security Tuesday.

The campaign has involved a nationwide crackdown by nine central Communist Party of China and government departments, including judicial, police and information industry agencies, against the illegal manufacture, sale and use of fake base stations.

Fake base stations are unlicensed telecommunication stations that enable criminals to send spam messages to nearby mobile users with fake phone numbers or disguised as communications from judicial or administrative enforcers or customer service departments of telecoms operators and banks.

Offenses related to fake base stations may be associated with crimes including fraud, illegal business operation, disturbing telecommunication order and illegal obtaining of citizens' personal information.

According to the statement, in one case identified by police in northeast China's Liaoning Province, a group is suspected of sending over 200 million spam messages.

The police also called on the public to report such messages to the authorities.