On 24 February 2025, the Supreme People’s Court of China announced seven typical cases of such crimes concluded by the courts concluded by the court to combat the frequent occurrence of such crimes in recent times, to educate the public that such crimes have shown new characteristics of cross-border, chain-like, and violent, and to provide guidance for courts at all levels to hear related cases. The judgments of these typical cases mainly show the court’s severe punishment attitude towards the main members of cross-border fraud groups, recidivists, habitual offenders, those who use minors to commit crimes, and those who commit fraud against overseas students.
Typical case I: A fraud case involving three defendants including Huang Mou – This case is a common and high-incidence online dating and marriage fraud implemented by overseas fraud criminal groups in a chain-like, streamlined, and meticulously divided manner (commonly known as “pig-killing scam”). The criminals tailored the scam to specific types of people and carried out precise “hunting”. They first disguised themselves as “perfect lovers” on social platforms and used sweet words to get closer to the victim. After the victim was emotionally invested and relaxed his vigilance, they lied about investment opportunities that would make money without losses, causing the victim to suffer both emotional and financial losses. The defendant Huang Mou and two others formed an organized and large-scale fraud criminal group overseas, fabricated successful personalities with financial strength to defraud female victims, and huge amounts of money were defrauded from the victims and flowed abroad, causing serious social harm. The court determined that the three defendants were the main culprits and were sentenced to life imprisonment and all their property was confiscated.
In early 2020, the defendants Huang Mou and Li Mouhui set up a fraud group in the Caishen International Park in Sihanoukville, Cambodia. They organized and directed many people to carry out telecommunications network fraud crimes against residents in China. In August, the defendant Zhou Mougang joined the fraud group and served as director. Huang Mou and Li Mouhui controlled the fraud group behind the scenes through overseas chat software, decided the company’s operating model, and controlled funds and related accounts; Zhou Mougang managed specific fraud matters on the spot, and there were several other key members (who have been sentenced in another case). The fraud group screened out women with certain economic strength such as legal representatives of enterprises through specific methods, added friends on online social platforms in batches through the victim’s mobile phone number, pretended to be “tall, rich and handsome” and chatted with the victim online according to the predetermined words, and recommended the victim to download “Jintianli” and other fake investment or gambling network platforms controlled by the group after gaining trust. They first manipulated the backend to allow the victims to withdraw small amounts of profit and then continued to lure the victims to top up. After the victims invested large amounts of money, they closed the withdrawal channel and blocked the victims. From September 2020 to the end of 2021, the fraud group defrauded more than 100 victims for a total of more than RMB 100 million (equivalent to US$ 13.77 million).
The court held that the defendants Huang Mou, Li Mouhui, and Zhou Mougang, for illegal possession, colluded with others to fabricate facts and conceal the truth, and defrauded Chinese personnel of money through telecommunications networks abroad, the amount of which was extremely huge, and their actions constituted the crime of fraud. Huang Mou and Li Mouhui set up a fraud group and decided on the operation model and controlled the capital account. Zhou Mougang was the highest-level personnel on the scene, responsible for managing and implementing the fraud activities. The three defendants played the role of organizing, planning, and commanding the fraud group, and were all the main members. They commanded and controlled the fraud group abroad, used telecommunications networks to defraud Chinese residents of money, and caused major economic losses to many victims. In summary, the three defendants were all sentenced to life imprisonment for the crime of fraud, deprived of political rights for life, and confiscated all personal property.
Typical case II: A fraud case involving three defendants including Yang Mou – This case is a typical online “brushing order” fraud, which is very deceptive. The usual routine is that criminals use the banner of “online part-time job” and use the commission as bait to let the deceived pay for the task in advance and defraud the prepaid money. The defendant Yang Mou was sentenced for committing telecommunications network fraud. After serving his sentence, he continued to commit telecommunications network fraud. Therefore, the court sentenced him to three years and five months in prison.
The defendant Yang Mou was sentenced for participating in the implementation of telecommunications network fraud of “false futures financial management”. At the end of 2023, Yang Mou agreed with the defendants Yu Mou and Fang Mouwen to use the shopping platform to implement online payment fraud. Fang Mouwen provided his bank card and identity information to register a website store on the shopping website, applied for a phone card to register an online social platform account to add a payer, and also provided the bank card and mobile payment account password to Yang Mou. Afterward, Yang Mou and others purchased bags at a low price online, sold them at a high price of RMB 588 (equivalent to US$ 81) in the website store, and posted advertisements on the Internet, promising that buyers who purchased and received the bags and posted good reviews could give RMB 150 to 1,000 (equivalent to US$ 21 to 137.7) of good review fees according to the number of their fans, and refunded RMB 588 (equivalent to US$ 81 US) for the purchase of bag. After the buyer received the bag and posted a favorable comment, Yang Mou and others deliberately delayed the review because it would take time to review the favorable comment. After the buyer’s order was automatically confirmed to have been received, the payment of RMB 588 for the bag was automatically transferred to the account of Yang Mou, making it impossible for the buyer to return the goods for a refund. From mid-January to early February 2024, Yang Mou and others lured buyers to place more than 300 orders, defrauding 103 victims of a total of more than RMB 50,000 (equivalent to US$ 6,885).
The court held that the defendants Yang Mou, Yu Mou, and Fang Mouwen used telecommunications networks to defraud others of property in huge amounts, and their actions constituted the crime of fraud. The three defendants jointly committed the crime of fraud, cooperated, and had equivalent status and roles. After being arrested, they confessed their crimes and voluntarily accepted the punishment. Fang Mouwen and Yu Mou withdrew all illegal gains and fully reimbursed 103 victims, thus they may be given a lighter punishment at their discretion. Yang Mou was sentenced for telecommunications network fraud and had a criminal record, so he was given a heavier punishment. In summary, Yang Mou was sentenced to three years and five months in prison for fraud and fined RMB 30,000 (equivalent to US$ 4,131); Fang Mouwen was sentenced to three years and one month in prison for fraud and fined RMB 20,000 (equivalent to US$ 2,754); Yu Mou was sentenced to three years in prison for fraud and fined RMB 20,000 (equivalent to US$2,754).
Typical case III: A fraud case involving two defendants including Xiao Moucheng – This case involves luring, enticing, and recruiting minors to participate in telecommunications network fraud. The defendant Xiao Moucheng, together with the defendant Hong Mouhuang, cooperated with criminals to commit fraud, luring minors who were inexperienced and could not distinguish right from wrong to participate in fraud. They first purchased phone cards from young teenagers and then organized minors to make fraudulent calls, assisting criminals in committing fraud and sharing the spoils. In the end, the court imposed a heavier punishment on the grounds of “using minors to commit crimes”, and sentenced them to five years and six months, and four years and six months in prison respectively.
In May 2023, Xiao Moucheng and Hong Mouhuang purchased a total of four phone cards from Xu Moujia (11 years old), Yang Moujia (13 years old), and others. Afterward, they hired Li Moujia (15 years old) and Xu Moujia (16 years old) to use eight mobile phones and four phone cards to make fraudulent calls in multiple hotel rooms in Wuyishan City, Fujian Province. Xiao Moucheng and the other three used two mobile phones each time, one to contact the upstream company through voice calls using online social software, and the other to call the victim according to the upstream company’s requirements, and turned on the hands-free function through the two mobile phones to achieve voice transfer. During the call, Xiao Moucheng and others knew the content of the call between the two parties, knowing that they were committing fraud, and did not speak according to the upstream company’s requirements, and the upstream company committed fraud on the victim. During this period, some phone cards were shut down by the communication operator due to abnormal use, but Xiao Moucheng and others continued to collect cards for making calls. Xiao Moucheng and three others made 1,524 fraudulent calls, defrauding five victims of a total of more than RMB 470,000 (equivalent to US$ 64,719). After Xiao Moucheng obtained the profits from the upstream company, he distributed them to Hong Mouhuang and two others. Xiao Moucheng and Hong Mouhuang both made more than RMB 3,000 (equivalent to US$ 413).
The court held that the defendant Xiao Moucheng and Hong Mouhuang, knowing that others were committing telecommunications network fraud, still purchased phone cards from multiple minors and organized two minors to make fraudulent calls together, and their actions constituted the crime of fraud. Although they were accomplices and confessed their crimes after being arrested, they used minors to commit crimes so they were given heavier punishments. Xiao Moucheng was sentenced to five years and six months in prison for fraud and a fine of RMB 50,000 (equivalent to US$6,885); Hong Mouhuang was sentenced to four years and six months in prison for fraud and a fine of RMB 20,000 (equivalent to US$2,754).
Typical case IV: A fraud case involving the defendant Zhu Moumin –This case is about criminals who committed fraud crimes such as false currency exchange against overseas students. The court severely punishes such crimes against special groups by publishing false foreign currency exchange information against overseas students.
From November 2018 to May 2019, Zhu Moumin used multiple online social media accounts in Australia to post false information about the exchange of Australian dollars, US dollars, and other foreign currencies into RMB in the online social media groups of international students. He deceived the victims by falsely claiming that he had transferred money and making and sending false transfer screenshots, defrauding 19 victims of a total of more than RMB 600,000 (equivalent to 82,620 USD).
The court held that the defendant Zhu Moumin used the Internet to publish false information for illegal possession and committed fraud, and the amount was extremely huge, and his behavior constituted the crime of fraud. Given Zhu Moumin’s voluntary confession and compensation for all losses of the victims, Zhu Moumin was sentenced to ten years in prison for fraud and fined RMB 100,000 (equivalent to US$13,770); the seized money was returned to the victims.
Typical case V: A case of fraud and organizing others to illegally cross the national border committed by the defendant Yu Mou – This case involves online gambling fraud. The usual routine of this type of crime is that criminals set up a false platform to manipulate the results to induce betting, lure people to increase investment with small profits and set up withdrawal barriers when the time is right, causing the deceived to lose all their money. This type of fraud generally involves a large number of victims, and the amount of fraud is huge, which often leads to a series of secondary harmful consequences. The defendant Yu Mou manipulated a false online gambling platform abroad and organized many people to go abroad to commit crimes, providing manpower for the fraud group. The court determined that Yu Mou was the principal member of the criminal group, and punished him for all the crimes committed by the group; combined with the statutory aggravating circumstances of his recidivism and the discretionary aggravating circumstances of organizing fraud against the elderly, minors, and students, he was sentenced to life imprisonment and ordered to repay the economic losses of the 111 victims who have been identified and to make every effort to recover the damages and to deprive him of the ability to commit crimes again to the maximum extent.
In the second half of 2018, Yu Mou, together with others, established Superstar Entertainment Company in Shengwei Park, Sihanoukville, Cambodia, and gradually developed into a telecommunications network fraud criminal group involving more than 300 people. The criminal group has multiple departments, which work together to deceive Chinese residents to recharge and place bets on six online gambling platforms controlled by the group, including “Superstar Entertainment”. They use backstage control of winning and losing, limited withdrawal, and other means to illegally occupy recharge and betting funds and commit cross-border telecommunications network fraud crimes. Yu Mou is responsible for the daily affairs, financial supervision, personnel management, etc. of the criminal group, and specifically manages the operation of various gambling platforms. At the end of 2019, the criminal group moved to Manila, Philippines, and continued to commit cross-border telecommunications network fraud crimes. As of 11 March 2020, when Yu Mou left the fraud park, it has been found that 111 victims have lost a total of more than RMB 59.87 million (equivalent to US$ 8.24 million), and the income funds of the accounts of various gambling platforms involved in the case have been retrieved, totaling more than RMB 3 billion (equivalent to US$ 0.41 billion). Many elderly people, minors, and students were deceived, and some victims divorced, had suicidal thoughts, or became mentally ill after being deceived. Since the second half of 2018, the telecommunications network fraud criminal group organized and led by the defendant Yu Mou and others has posted high-paying recruitment information on the Internet, rewarded members for introducing new people, arranged itineraries, purchased air tickets, handled visas, and provided airport pick-up. They organized and lured 106 Chinese residents to fabricate reasons for leaving the country to cover up the purpose of illegal exit, deceived the border inspection authorities to approve them, and flew to Cambodia and the Philippines to join the criminal organization to engage in cross-border telecommunications network fraud crimes.
The court held that the defendant Yu Mou, in collusion with others for illegal possession, fabricated facts, concealed the truth, and defrauded others of property in a particularly huge amount, and his behavior constituted the crime of fraud; Yu Mou organized others to fabricate reasons to go abroad to engage in cross-border telecommunications network fraud crimes and organized a large number of people, and his behavior constituted the crime of organizing others to illegally cross the national border, and he should be punished for multiple crimes. Yu Mou colluded with others to form a criminal group and was the principal member of the criminal group. He should be punished according to all the crimes committed by the group; Yu Mou organized others to defraud the elderly, minors, and students in school, and was a repeat offender, and was punished more severely. In summary, the defendant Yu Mou was sentenced to life imprisonment for fraud and thirteen years in prison for organizing others to illegally cross the national border. It was decided to execute life imprisonment, deprive him of political rights for life, and impose a fine.
Typical case VI: A case of the defendant Liu Mou and two others committing fraud and organizing others to smuggle across the national border, etc. – This case is about recruiting, luring, and luring people to smuggle across the country to commit telecommunications network fraud crimes in a planned and organized manner by luring “recruiting people” with high salaries. The defendants Liu Mou and Zhu Mou participated in cross-border telecommunications network fraud crimes, and also took advantage of others’ weak legal awareness and the mentality of wanting to get rich overnight, lured and organized many people to smuggle abroad to join the fraud organization, and led many fellow villagers astray. The court sentenced them for multiple crimes.
In April 2020, Liu Mou and others sneaked across the China-Myanmar border to Pangkham City, the Republic of the Union of Myanmar, and joined a fraud gang to carry out a “pig-killing scam” fraud against residents in China. The gang was divided into bosses, directors, agents, team leaders, and team members. In July of the same year, to become an agent of the fraud gang (mainly responsible for pulling people from the country to the fraud gang, appointing team leaders, and managing the fraud team), Liu Mou sneaked back to his hometown, Wusheng County, Sichuan Province, and invited and organized many people in Wusheng County to sneak across the China-Myanmar border to the fraud gang to commit fraud using high-income inducement and other deceptions. Liu Mou himself sneaked across the China-Myanmar border many times and also teamed up with many people to sneak across the China-Myanmar border to the fraud den. In August of the same year, Zhu Mou, at the invitation and organization of Liu Mou, sneaked across the China-Myanmar border and entered the fraud gang where Liu Mou was to carry out fraud activities. During this period, Zhu Mou used inducement and other means to invite, contact, and arrange for many people to sneak into the fraud gang where Liu Mou was the agent, and carried out fraud in the fraud group where Zhu Mou was. Others were invited to sneak across the China-Myanmar border and join the fraud gang where Liu Mou was and carry out fraud activities.
The court held that the defendants Liu Mou, Zhu Mou, and others participated in an overseas fraud criminal gang for illegal possession and committed telecommunications network fraud against Chinese residents, and their actions constituted the crime of fraud. The defendants Liu Mou and Zhu Mou, as agents and members of the overseas fraud criminal gang, introduced, lured, and lured people to cross the national border to commit telecommunications network fraud under the command of the fraud gang, and their actions constituted the crime of organizing others to cross the national border illegally. The defendant Liu Mou violated the national border management regulations and crossed the national border illegally many times or formed a group to cross the national border illegally, and his actions constituted the crime of crossing the national border illegally. After Liu Mou and others were arrested, they confessed their crimes and pleaded guilty, but they organized others to cross the national border illegally many times, and their status and role were more important than Zhu Mou and others. In summary, Liu Mou was sentenced to five years in prison and a fine of RMB 30,000 (equivalent to US$ 4131) for the crimes of fraud, organizing others to illegally cross the national border, and illegally crossing the national border; Zhu Mou was sentenced to one year and six months in prison and a fine of RMB 8,000 (equivalent to US$ 1101.6) for the crimes of fraud and organizing others to illegally cross the national border.
Typical case VII: The case of the defendant Shen Moutao and 14 others committing fraud and organizing others to illegally cross the national border, etc. – The defendant Shen Moutao established a telecommunications network fraud criminal group abroad. The first instance court determined that he was the main culprit and imposed a heavy sentence. The second instance court urged Shen Moutao to return the compensation and the full amount to the victim and recover the verified losses.
Since 2018, Shen Moutao has gradually formed a cross-border telecommunications network fraud criminal group headed by him, with Guo Moutuo, Zhao Mouru, Cui Moubo, and others as core members, Wang Mouliang, Li Mouhai, and others as team leaders, and Jin Mouwei, Dong Mou, Shen Mouning and others as team members by recruiting fellow villagers and gathering social idlers. Shen Moutao adopted the model of cooperating with other criminal groups and gangs or committing crimes alone by his criminal group to carry out cross-border telecommunications network fraud activities in the Kingdom of Cambodia, the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, and other countries. The criminal group concealed the real intention of going abroad to commit crimes and carried out fraudulent activities against domestic women by “pig-killing scam” by going abroad with visas in the name of outbound tourism. Members of the criminal group first looked for women on marriage and dating websites to “fall in love”, and then lured women to invest in fake gambling platforms created and controlled by the criminal group, and defrauded by manipulating the backstage wins and losses. Shen Moutao, as the ringleader of the criminal group, used high salaries as inducements and gathered many people to cover up their illegal purposes by fabricating facts and concealing the truth. He deceived the exit and border inspection authorities into approving their exit to engage in telecommunications network fraud activities. Among them, Shen Moutao organized a total of 58 people to go abroad with passports to Cambodia and Laos and engage in telecommunications network fraud crimes more than 200 times.
The court of first instance held that the defendants Shen Moutao and others, for illegal possession, defrauded others of property by fabricating facts and concealing the truth, and the amount was extremely huge. Their behavior constituted the crime of fraud. Shen Moutao and others organized others to illegally cross the national border, and their behavior constituted the crime of organizing others to illegally cross the national border. Shen Moutao is the principal member who organized and led the criminal group and should be punished according to all the crimes committed by the group. In summary, Shen Moutao was sentenced to 19 years in prison and a fine of RMB 1.03 million (equivalent to US$ 0.14 million) for the crimes of fraud and organizing others to illegally cross the national border. The other 14 defendants were sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment ranging from 11 years and 2 months to 6 months and fined. During the second trial, the defendant Shen Moutao pleaded guilty and repented, voluntarily accepted the punishment, and fully refunded nearly RMB 5 million (equivalent to US$ 0.69 million); the court promptly returned the defrauded money to the verified deceived people, recovering the economic losses of the deceived people. Based on this, the second-instance court gave Shen Moutao a lenient punishment and changed his sentence to 16 years in prison and a fine of RMB 1.03 million (equivalent to US$ 0.14 million).
In conclusion, the above typical cases reflect the court’s determination to severely punish cross-border and group-based online fraud crimes, as well as online fraud crimes targeting minors or students. Meanwhile, by exposing some new types of fraud methods, the court reminds the public to be wary of traps such as online dating and high-salary temptations.