545 prosecuted for fraud related to epidemic control

BEIJING -- Procuratorial organs across China had prosecuted 545 suspects in 516 fraud cases related to the prevention and control of the COVID-19 epidemic by Wednesday, according to the Supreme People's Procuratorate (SPP) on March 12.

As of March 11, the procuratorial organs have approved the arrest of 917 suspects involved in 869 such fraud cases, accounting for about 40 percent of total criminal cases related to epidemic control.

The SPP also published five typical cases of fraud crimes that harmed prevention and control efforts against the epidemic, which involved pretending to be a teacher to steal tuition from students' parents through social media groups.

The majority of such fraud cases were carried out through social media and e-commerce platforms, said Miao Shengming, an SPP official.

The SPP has warned the public not to purchase epidemic prevention materials from unauthorized online shops, not to buy medicine to prevent COVID-19, and keep transaction records, including payment information, as evidence.