On the eve of the sixth Chinese People's Police Day, the Changsha Municipal Public Security Bureau prepared a special "holiday gift" for its citizens. On January 9th, the bureau held a ceremony for the centralized return of property and funds defrauded in telecommunications network fraud cases, where 12 citizens received a total of 6.469 million yuan of their hard-earned money back from police officers. As stacks of cash and gold bars were returned to their rightful owners, the long-held anxieties of the victims were finally put to rest.
In the past year, law enforcement authorities in Changsha successfully recovered 140 million yuan in losses for victims, a significant 29.6% increase compared to the previous year. The funds and assets returned during the ceremony were all recovered by Changsha police officers in 2025 through early warning interventions and criminal investigations.
Throughout the year, public security organs citywide deeply carried out special operations such as "Hundred-Day Campaign" and "Thunder," striking hard against telecommunications fraud-related crimes. They successfully solved 5,985 telecom fraud cases and took criminal action against 1,872 suspects. While maintaining a firm stance on cracking down, Changsha police consistently focused on reducing case numbers and minimizing losses. They handled 4.933 million warnings through a tiered classification system and innovated a "six-party linkage" early warning and dissuasion method, achieving a record of "zero successful defrauds" following financial warnings for 17 consecutive months.
In addition to the centralized return of cash, a batch of assets including gold were also returned at the event. For instance, in a case handled by the Tianxin Public Security Sub-bureau involving Li某某, who was defrauded in a fake online investment scam, police fully recovered the victim's gold, valued at 389,000 yuan, which was returned during the ceremony.
Officers explained that inducing victims to purchase and mail physical items like gold, tobacco, alcohol, and high-end electronics has become a new method for fraudsters to transfer illicit funds. Compared to bank transfers, mailing physical goods like gold makes it more difficult for law enforcement to intercept the fraudulent funds through the banking system. To counter this, Changsha specifically established a city-wide joint prevention and control工作机制, strengthening coordination between police, postal services, and financial institutions. Last year, they intercepted 355 suspicious packages involved in fraud, recovering over 23.32 million yuan in cash and gold for the public.
Simultaneously, Changsha police advanced technological empowerment, conducting specialized research on technical countermeasures. They investigated and traced fraudulent apps, phone calls, and text messages, blocking 32,000 scam-related apps and websites, and suspending 6,000 fraudulent accounts. Their efforts led to the identification and warning of 429,000 potential victims. To enhance public awareness, they produced and broadcast anti-fraud scenario dramas on public buses, subways, and elevator screens across the city. They also optimized the 96110 anti-fraud hotline, which received 367,000 incoming calls and made 135,000 outbound warning and prevention calls throughout the year.
"Currently, telecom fraud has become a predominant form of criminal activity. Specifically, rebate fraud, fake online investment scams, impersonation of customer service, and impersonation of acquaintances account for 70.4% of all cases and 83.3% of total losses," reminded Zhai An, an anti-fraud officer from the Changsha Municipal Public Security Bureau. He urged citizens to proactively learn and substantially enhance their ability to recognize and prevent scams by adhering to the "Three Don'ts and One Do" principle: do not click on unknown links, do not lightly trust calls from strangers, do not disclose personal information, and always verify before transferring money.
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