(ECNS) -- Online vendors are still selling non-real-name registered cell phone numbers on second-hand trading platforms, despite renewed debate nationwide over a telecom scam that resulted in the death of a university student in Shandong Province, Securities Daily has reported.
Xu Yuyu, 18, of Linyi, Shandong, was enrolled at a university in Jiangsu Province. She collapsed on August 19 shortly after reporting to police that telecom fraudsters had swindled her out of tuition fees worth 9,900 yuan ($1,480). She died of a heart attack two days later.
Data show that nearly 44 percent of recent text messages suspected of fraud were sent from virtual numbers in the 170/171 bands, according to the newspaper.
A second-hand trading platform on the popular online shopping site Taobao is still selling cell phone numbers starting with "170," claiming they are "brand new with zero monthly rent and no minimum usage fee requirement."
These numbers were said to have normal voice and text messaging functions with no requirement of real-name registration. Buyers are quoted 28 yuan per number and can get a bargain depending on the quantity.
Another vendor based in Quanzhou City said, "The numbers do not need real names from buyers, because they have been registered under companies."
Following recent telecom scams that resulted in the death of two students in Shandong, tips were offered online suggesting that people hang up on phone calls placed from virtual numbers.
Many virtual operators felt this was unfair, saying that they were strictly abiding by the authority's requirement of real-name registration, and that the use of previous non-real-name registered numbers would all be stopped.
The paper visited outlets of telecom carriers in Beijing and found that they all required real-name registration for new numbers, including virtual numbers.
