Thanks to efforts in combating telecom fraud in Beijing's Tongzhou district, both the number of cases and the financial losses of residents have shown a "double decline" in 2025, although challenges remain with the emergence of new fraudulent methods, an official said on Thursday.

Tan Long, deputy head of the district's public security department, told a news conference that since January, there has been a 21 percent year-on-year increase in recovered losses for the public, with nearly 100 million yuan ($14.2 million) of illicit funds successfully intercepted.

He revealed that the majority of victims were young and middle-aged individuals, with those aged 18 to 40 accounting for over 50 percent of the total, and the 40 to 60 age group making up about 30 percent.

"Some fraudsters lure victims to niche platforms through mainstream social media and online game websites, or by exploiting trending topics such as heatwave subsidies and digital investment to create scams," he said.

"Offline, some used explicit cards in areas including Majuqiao and Zhangjiawan to entice victims to scan QR codes and register on fraudulent platforms," he added, noting that the methods of transferring illicit funds have also become more concealed.

To efficiently help victims recover losses and resolve cases, police across the district have established a specialized investigation team and strengthened cooperation with banks and telecom service providers. Tan said the return of funds involved in fraud to the public has increased by 54 percent compared to 2024.

Zhang Cheng, manager of China Unicom's Tongzhou branch, said the company has organized employees to visit residential areas, schools and outskirts to share tips on how to prevent scams and has provided more than 40,000 brochures to enhance people's anti-fraud awareness.

Li Yi, head of Tongzhou branch of the Bank of Tianjin, revealed that through collaboration between the police and the bank, branches across Beijing have successfully resolved 16 telecom fraud cases, preventing losses of over 2.6 million yuan.

While working with police officers to provide security-related lectures for residents, Li said that he and his colleagues have also applied more technologies in the anti-fraud campaign, making every effort to effectively crack down on fraud cases.