Source: Rule of Law Daily
In recent years, games have become one of the entertainment methods for many people, and at the same time, some criminals have seized the opportunity to coax gamers into taking the bait and let them step by step into the "trap" of fraud.
Since the summer vacation this year, a number of online game fraud cases have occurred in many places across the country, causing widespread concern in public opinion. At the same time, relevant departments and regions, relevant platforms and enterprises are also exploring and summarizing some targeted anti-fraud measures.
Online scams target gamers
In July 2023, a fraud case occurred in a community in Puzhou Street, Wenzhou, Zhejiang. When Wang played an online game at home, he added a game friend's social account, and the other party said that Wang's game account violated the abnormality and needed information verification to remove the abnormality. According to the instructions of the other party, Wang sent the identity information in his grandmother's mobile phone and the various verification codes received to the other party, and on the second day, Wang's mother found that there were too many verification codes on her mobile phone before she noticed it, and found that she was deceived by a total of more than 100,000 yuan.
In July 2023, Xiaowen (pseudonym) in Foshan, Guangdong Province saw a video of giving away game skins for free when he brushed the short video platform, so he scanned the video QR code and added the other party's social account. After adding, the other party turned on the video call and asked Xiaowen to operate it with his parents' mobile phone, claiming that "it is just a process, and there will be no cost". Xiaowen got his father's mobile phone and opened the Alipay payment code according to the other party's request, and then the other party scanned the payment code three times, with a total loss of 6488 yuan.
In August 2023, Zhang Moumou from Mingfeng Town, Yuan'an County, Hubei Province, used "TT voice" to chat with a stranger when playing online games with his grandmother's mobile phone, and the other party induced Zhang to add his social account friends on the grounds of giving away game skins, then downloaded the APP and turned on screen sharing, and then the other party operated Zhang's grandmother's mobile phone and asked Zhang to add his family's bank card, and the other party obtained the verification code through screen sharing and transferred the 29,900 yuan in the bank card.
In August 2023, Xiao Chen in Xinyi City, Jiangsu Province brushed a game video saying that he could receive game skins for free by joining the social group, and Xiao Chen was greatly moved and joined the group as soon as possible. After entering the group, she added a private chat of the administrator according to the prompt, and the other party sent her a QR code with a game cover, and asked Xiao Chen to scan the code and fill out the "questionnaire" truthfully. After Xiao Chen filled in and submitted, the webpage jumped out of the prompt box, saying that Xiao Chen "operated incorrectly, triggered the risk, and needed her to assist in the operation within 30 minutes to cancel, otherwise she would be fined 10,000 yuan", and also "warmly" reminded Xiao Chen to "find a place where no one is, take the parents' mobile phone operation to cancel, and don't let the parents find out". Xiao Chen did not dare to tell his parents, so he followed the other party's "guidance" and picked up his father's mobile phone to operate. During this period, he not only told the other party all kinds of verification codes one by one, but also made 4 transfers by scanning the code payment, and when the mother found out, she had been cheated of 39989.01 yuan.
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Many netizens lamented why such a clumsy fraud method can also be successfully defrauded, and it is urgent to strengthen the anti-fraud education of gamers.
In this regard, Zhang Xiaofeng, a member of the lawyer expert database of Rule of Law Daily and a lawyer at Beijing Kyoto Law Firm, believes that some fraudsters take advantage of players' lack of social experience and poor awareness of anti-fraud. And some criminals bypass online game platforms and attract fraud on other social platforms. This fraud method can not only spread fraudulent information more widely, but also cause information isolation, circumventing the fraud monitoring and crackdown facilities of the gaming platform.
A variety of "routines" are worth being wary of
In June this year, the Ministry of Public Security announced the top 10 types of telecommunications network fraud, one of which is "online game product fake transaction fraud": fraudsters publish advertisements for buying and selling online game accounts, props, and point cards on social and game platforms, or obtain game props at free low prices, participate in lotteries and other related information. After the victim actively contacts him, the fraudster induces the victim to bypass the formal platform to conduct private transactions with him on the grounds that private transactions are cheaper and more convenient; Or ask the victim to add the so-called customer service account to participate in the lottery, and ask the victim to pay the "registration fee", "unfreezing fee" and "membership fee" on the grounds of operation errors, insufficient level, etc., and block the victim after winning.
Sorting out the typical cases reported by the police in many places found that in recent years, the number of fraudulent cases of online game false transactions has been increasing, and the common fraud methods mainly include: First, the acquisition of game accounts at high prices, criminals publish advertisements on some social platforms to acquire game accounts, lure victims with information such as "high price, convenience, third-party platform guarantee", induce victims to log in to the false trading website designated by the criminals to trade, and at the same time use various reasons (deposit payment, The bank card account is incorrectly entered and frozen, etc.) require the victim to recharge in order to withdraw, and when the victim recharges is completed, the victim needs to recharge more amount for other reasons (system failure, etc.) until the victim discovers that he has been deceived; The second is to sell game equipment at a low price, criminals use a certain online game to buy and sell game currency and equipment, and after defrauding players into trust, let players transfer money through offline banks, and break their word after getting the money and do not trade; The third is to publish and provide training information on the game forum, and after receiving the remittance and game account provided by the player, the agent training will be embezzled together with the account one or two days later; Fourth, when trading the account, although more detailed information is provided, after the player's transaction is completed and played a few days, the account is stolen, resulting in economic losses.
According to industry sources, some criminals specifically target large DAU (daily active users) games, especially targeting young users as scam targets. They use "free skins" and "receive official gift boxes" as bait to trick players to bypass game platforms with strong juvenile protection and supervision systems, re-establish social relationships with minor users through third-party social platforms, and gradually guide users to transfer assets in victims' bank accounts by scanning codes, telling verification codes, etc.
It's time to fight fraud: all sectors of society work together and platforms take joint action
It is worth noting that in June this year, in accordance with the relevant requirements of the "National Anti-fraud Action" concentrated publicity campaign jointly deployed by the Central Propaganda Department and the Ministry of Public Security, the National Anti-fraud Center compiled and produced the "2023 Edition of the Publicity Manual for Preventing Telecommunications Network Fraud" (hereinafter referred to as the "Publicity Manual"), which sorted out in detail the characteristics and fraud methods of 10 types of high-incidence telecommunications network fraud cases, and gave relevant reminders and suggestions. In response to "online game product false transaction fraud", the "Brochure" released typical cases, deeply analyzed the relevant modus operandi, and reminded that "please operate through the regular website platform for buying and selling game accounts and props, and there is a risk of being deceived in private transactions".
Recently, police in many places have concentrated on detecting a number of cases involving online game fraud: Shanghai Jinshan police smashed a fraud gang that used online trading of game equipment as bait through meticulous investigation during the summer public security crackdown and rectification operation; Haikou police traveled more than 4,000 kilometers and successfully detected an online fraud case involving 1.5 million yuan on the grounds of purchasing online game character skins at a low price; Shandong Binhai Police successfully detected a case of fraud by buying and selling game accounts, seizing 1 computer, 14 mobile phones, 11 Internet cards and other crime tools on the spot; Jiangsu Public Security also cooperated with NetEase to crack a case of online fraud in the name of sending game skins, and successfully arrested criminal gangs.
Relying on their respective advantages in anti-fraud professional influence and digital interaction capabilities, the Shanghai Municipal Communications Administration Bureau "Shouhu Meow" and "Egg Party" recently launched anti-fraud cooperation in the field of games for the first time. The two sides actively explore the innovative linkage between the "Shouhu Meow" anti-fraud IP and the IP of "Egg Party", create comic content that integrates IP characters with common fraud scenarios, promote anti-fraud science popularization to approach gamers in a more relaxed, lively, vivid and interesting form, and comprehensively enhance gamers' awareness of preventing online fraud.
It is reported that "Egg Party" has also launched three core anti-fraud product functions such as "fraud early warning - fraud blocking - fraud reporting", which can identify, cut off, verify and block suspected fraud illegal acts 24 hours a day in the game, providing technical solutions for combating the online fraud industry chain. Up to now, it has sent more than 1.477 million targeted anti-fraud reminders and made 154,000 intelligent outbound anti-fraud reminder calls.
Zhongxu Future (Greedy Games) launched the "Anti-Fraud Heroes" public welfare game for online fraud and improving minors' network security literacy, popularizing anti-fraud and anti-fraud knowledge for young users through interactive game learning.
Lawyer Zhang Xiaofeng suggested that in the future, a cross-platform information sharing mechanism should also be established, with user information and fraud methods involved in fraud shared between platforms, and linked with law enforcement departments to strengthen the tracking and crackdown on criminals. At the technical level, a sharing mechanism for technical tools and algorithms for identifying and monitoring fraud should be established to improve the regulatory capacity of each platform.
The relevant responsible comrade of the Cyberspace Administration of China previously said that the website platform actively fulfills the main responsibility of information content management, and has played a role in dealing with harmful information related to fraud and rectifying telecommunications network fraud. At the same time, we must also see that some website platforms still have problems such as inadequate understanding of responsibilities and imperfect institutional mechanisms. Some social platforms and short video platforms should implement information content management requirements, and continue to investigate and deal with fraud-related information, group circles, and accounts; Establish and improve account monitoring and early warning mechanisms, promptly discover and dispose of abnormal accounts, and implement a real-name registration system for accounts; Establish and improve mechanisms for reporting fraud, promptly handling and giving feedback to netizens on reports of fraud; Conduct security assessments of existing applications, businesses, and technologies, and rectify those that do not meet the requirements. Where relevant enterprises fail to perform their risk control responsibilities and the masses are deceived, the relevant departments will pursue responsibility in accordance with law. It is hoped that all sectors of society will work together to actively guide minors, raise awareness of preventing telecommunications network fraud, and not give criminals an opportunity.
Author|Rule of Law Daily All-media reporter Shen Ruoshui