Is it true that overseas arrests in "All for One" are real? Journalist's Personal Experience of Chinese Police's Cross border Destruction of Telecom Fraud dens for Fraud | Telecom | Police
The popular Shanghai film "All in One" focuses on the telecommunications network fraud that has received much attention in recent years.
This type of film and television work based on real-life themes, with real shots added, is the most shocking.
The opening and ending scenes of the movie, a group of Chinese police vandalizing telecommunications fraud dens overseas, and interviews with members of telecommunications fraud groups made my thoughts fly towards the past.
In December 2013, I accompanied Shanghai Public Security to Cambodia and directly attacked Shanghai Public Security's cross-border destruction of telecommunications fraud dens. I interviewed members of fraud groups who were in danger and then turned around to deceive others.
The scene that left the deepest impression on me in the movie was when Zhou also played the victim's girlfriend Xiaoyu. He looked at Zhao Dongran, the captain of the criminal police team played by Yongmei, and said that he was waiting for new news every day. His eyes were filled with sadness, questioning, and even a hint of contempt.
Yeah, why is it so difficult to crack down on telecommunications fraud?
I think the cross-border arrest operation that I personally experienced back then, intertwined with the plot of this movie, may give me a glimpse of the difficulty of cracking down on such cases and the unremitting efforts of the Chinese government.
Cross border crackdown on crime, reality is more difficult than movies
In the last half hour of the movie, Chinese police delve deep into the hinterland of Canaan and cooperate with local police to crack down on telecom fraud groups hidden in schools. Along the way, Chinese police almost return without success. In the end, with the help of Zhang Yixing's portrayal of programmer Pan Sheng, who is trapped in a fraud group, and Jin Chen's portrayal of "Escape Life" customer service representative Liang Anna, the entire group is wiped out.
The case I experienced occurred on October 28, 2013. At that time, a foreign executive from an investment company reported to the police. On October 22nd, she received a phone call claiming that "information leakage is suspected of money laundering" and transferred more than 20 million yuan.
The loss in a single case was so huge, it was the first time in Shanghai at that time.
The police investigated and identified fraudulent phone numbers from Cambodia. On November 19th, the first batch of members of the special task force went to Cambodia. Unlike hiding in the suburbs in the movie, the gang involved in this case can be described as hiding in the city and being locked in a villa on 319th Street in Duigu District, Phnom Penh City - the local "upper corner".
At that time, Shanghai was already in autumn, and the local atmosphere was warm and humid. Members of the task force, like tourists, wore short sleeved floral shirts and sat in "beep carts" around suspicious dens. In order to prevent the repeated appearance of Chinese faces that made people suspicious, the task force also sent two female investigators on foot to visit and restore the scene as detailed as possible. At that time, many mobile phones were still flip phones, and investigators pretended to be on the phone with both hands, walking and taking photos, finally capturing the overall situation of the hideout and a car entering.
The appearance of telecom fraud dens targeted by Shanghai police in Cambodia's cross-border crackdown in 2013
Compared to the local villagers who were worried about the scam group being affected by the business in the movie and directly besieging the car taken by the Chinese police, this case was more like a "secret war" at the time, and the task force would occasionally find suspicious figures in the hotel lobby. Fortunately, it was agreed in advance not to speak Shanghai dialect in public to prevent being discovered that "people from Shanghai have arrived".
In the movie, Zhao Dongran talked about the dilemma in reality: according to international practice, Chinese police do not have law enforcement power overseas and must act with the cooperation of local police.
But the workflow varies greatly in different countries. For example, to inquire about telecommunications related information, one must first submit an application to the police, and then the police will contact the postal department, which will search through the telecommunications company. At that time, there were already dozens of telecommunications companies of all sizes in Cambodia, and the investigation was completed for at least a week. To carry out the operation, it is necessary to contact the Cambodian Ministry of the Interior through the embassy. The Ministry of the Interior sends approval to the police department, and the police department signs and confirms before the operation can be carried out.
From the perspective of criminal investigation theory, this time is enough to spread the rumors throughout the city.
In the day after day of anxious waiting, it is easy to feel powerless - just like in a movie where Zhao Dongran had to book a ticket to prepare for returning home. At that time, even though I was only a non staff member of the task force, every night after confirming the next day's itinerary, I would wander aimlessly along the Mekong River to relieve anxiety and emptiness.
Finally, at 10 pm on December 8th, the action was approved. That night, many people couldn't fall asleep.
On the morning of December 9th at 7 o'clock, the police stationed the borrowed local common off-road vehicle at an intersection 20 meters away from the villa, half lying in the back seat and observing through a reflector.
This posture is very anti human, but it can prevent passersby from discovering anyone in the car. During the day, the temperature in Cambodia exceeds 30 degrees Celsius, and it is impossible to turn on the air conditioning in a closed car. In fact, they used to spend their days like this before.
The details of several door openings in the movie are quite restored: the local police climbed directly into a hideout gate and opened it from inside; Another time the door was blocked and had to be broken through with strong pliers.
Before 9 o'clock, all other members of the task force arrived at the scene. At 10 o'clock, all relevant procedures in the rear are completed, and the arrest begins. According to the agreed plan, the local police launched a strong attack from the main entrance. Originally, they planned to use strong pliers to cut the internal U-shaped lock from the opening of the main entrance. However, the lock was exceptionally hard, and such a small opening could not function.
Fortunately, some of the police officers in the task force were deployed in advance to the back door to surround and build a human ladder to escort people one by one towards the wall. Some people entered the villa, while others rushed to the front door to assist the local police who had flipped through the door in cutting open the door lock and opening the door.
In reality, there are almost no technically proficient "Pan Sheng" who can help store evidence. At that time, each member of the project team had their own division of labor, and someone immediately rushed to the computer to backup data. In just a few minutes, the password of the database used to upload daily statistical data within the hideout was changed, and the original data information was also remotely deleted.
Was it the victim or the perpetrator?
Just like the different floors and office areas in the movie, the three story villa I saw back then was used by three groups of fraudsters at different levels.
When a simulated voice call is sent out saying "your phone is overdue" or "you have a package that has not been collected", the victim often calls fraudsters who pretend to be telecom workers or post office staff on the front line. The content of the call is nothing more than informing the other party that "your personal information has been impersonated. We suggest that you report to the police, and we will help you transfer the police call.". On the desk of the frontline fraudster, the reporter saw an analog keyboard the size of a calculator, which simulates the sound of "transferring police calls" by tapping the keyboard to increase confusion.
The second line fraudsters pretend to be "police officers". The police officer will require you to transfer the money to a "secure account". If you do not believe it, you can also transfer the phone to a third line fraudster, namely the "prosecutor" or "judge", to provide evidence. The third group will enter the stage of money fraud: specifically guide the victim on how to transfer money into the account of the fraud group.
At that time, the on-site police found a circulation form that recorded the "business" of the hideout: the first group obtained basic information such as mobile phone numbers and then placed them in a basket and handed them over to the second group. The second group obtained key information such as name, account, and deposit, and then transferred them to the third group for money fraud.
On the table of each group of fraudsters, there is not only a complete set of "scripts" for fabricating reasons for fraud, but also a 5-page "Q&A manual" that collects 36 questions and answers that victims are most likely to question when they are skeptical.
There are also dedicated rooms in the villa with upper and lower bunks as dormitories for scammers. In general, they cannot go out freely, their food and accommodation are all in the villa, and daily necessities are purchased by a dedicated person.
Jin Chen plays Liang Anna, who is both the perpetrator and the victim
At that time, I talked to the suspect Zhang, who belonged to the second group in the hideout and played the role of "Captain Liu Hao of the Beijing Public Security Bureau".
Zhang said that he originally took his younger brother and friends to Cambodia to invest in a clothing factory, but due to poor management, his younger brother found a job on his own. After meeting people at a bar, he became a chef in the restaurant.
Afterwards, he returned to his home country and returned to Cambodia because he was worried about his younger brother's safety. He was taken into his villa as soon as he got off the plane, and his documents and phone were taken away. The person in charge of the hideout took out a "script" for him to practice and conducted a two-hour "assessment". The final conclusion was that his voice was mature and steady, suitable for the role of "captain" in the second group.
At the end of the movie, those who were scammed from telecommunications scams and returned to China all come forward to explain their situations: some were scammed into the scam while traveling, some were detained by fellow villagers while working, some attempted to escape and were electrocuted, and some were physically injured and disabled.
Are they victims or perpetrators? Are they rescued or captured? In the face of enormous temptations of interests, not everyone can pass the test of human nature.
Just like Liang Anna, who was repeatedly deceived, she was also motivated to stay and continue making money because she exceeded her performance targets. I remember the fearful and hesitant gaze she had when facing the real police even after escaping - I had seen it in the eyes of some of the people who were arrested in the case I experienced back then.
I remember when the police officers from the task force said to them before boarding, "Let's take you home first."
Under big data, we are all running naked
When the hideout was breached, a phone call kept coming in. After this call stopped, the data began to be remotely deleted.
The caller is the behind the scenes boss of the hideout. No one knows his real name, some call him "Mr. Lin" and others call him "Brother Ji". The police later verified that both of these names were unrelated to his name.
The people in the hideout not only don't know the boss's name, but also the names of people under the same roof. They usually use code names to address everyone and are not allowed to "visit" at will. Violators will be fined $100.
When people are not in Phnom Penh, "Mr. Lin" will make 3-4 phone calls every day to inquire about the situation. After completing a large order, some fraudsters will be disbanded and rehired - the movie shows an even more terrifying situation today: these people will not return, they will only be sold to another gang.
Wang Chuanjun's portrayal of Lu Bingkun is just the head of the hideout
Wang Chuanjun's portrayal of "Manager Lu" is just the tip of the iceberg of the entire criminal group, and behind him is the almost unseen "Mr. Chong".
The difficulty in solving telecommunications fraud cases lies in this: the entire criminal chain is broken down into different processes, each with a separate person responsible for it.
When the police were cracking down on such cases, they discovered that more than 20 million yuan had been transferred 7 times, involving more than 2000 accounts. The cardholders were spread across the country and had no connection with each other.
After cracking down on the "card processing group", the public security department found that it was not affiliated with "Mr. Lin", but independently provided bank cards for multiple telecommunications fraud groups.
The telecommunications fraud industry chain, which was still considered a trend at the time, has now become a reality.
What is even more concerning is that with the advancement of technologies such as big data and artificial intelligence, the methods of telecommunications fraud are becoming increasingly new.
The scene that scares me the most in the movie is the victim A Tian, played by Wang Dalu. Despite receiving a good higher education and having a happy family, he is still trapped in gambling, which is almost impossible to involve in his normal life trajectory.
As Zhao Dongran said, nowadays the promotion of telecommunications fraud is printed on eggs, why are there still people being deceived?
Compared to the cases I experienced in the past, today's fraud gangs can use big data to depict the victim's profile, and through his online records, personal movements, consumption habits, etc., more and more accurately understand the victim's psychology, thereby controlling his emotions, "I'm not afraid you won, I'm afraid you won't play."
Fortunately, after 10 years, telecommunications network legislation and cross-border cooperation in combating crime are gradually maturing, and the application norms of new technologies are also being discussed in society. Telecom fraud prevention is becoming a consensus in society.
At the end of that report, I wrote, "For the whole society to work together to combat telecommunications fraud, everything has just begun."
After watching the entire movie, I still want to say that for the whole society to work together to combat telecommunications fraud, we are still on the way.
