1 cybercrimes, internet fraud, online scams, sophisticated internet fraud syndicate 2024.6.8- ✓Press ✓Zambia,赞比亚

Long jail terms for Chinese cybercrime gang in Zambia
8 June 2024

Lengthy jail terms have been handed to 22 Chinese citizens – and a Cameroonian man – for cyber-related crimes in Zambia.

The gang’s only female convict, Gu Tianjiao, reportedly cried “papa, papa” as her seven-year sentenced was announced in the Lusaka Magistrates Court on Friday.

Some in the gang – including its mastermind Li Xianlin – received up to 11 years in prison.

The group’s members were also fined between $1,500 and $3,000 (£1,180 and £2,360) each.

Victims as far afield as Singapore, Peru and the United Arab Emirates fell prey to their online scams, say Zambian authorities.

After a trial lasting several weeks, the perpetrators pleaded guilty on three charges – computer-related misrepresentation, identity-related crimes, and illegally operating a network or service.

The 22 people jailed on Friday were among a bigger group of 77 suspects arrested in April, in connection with what authorities called a “sophisticated internet fraud syndicate”.

The swoop on a Chinese-run company in the capital, Lusaka, followed an alarming rise in internet fraud cases in the country, targeting people in countries around the world.

Growing numbers of Zambians losing money from their mobile and bank accounts through money-laundering schemes which extend to other foreign countries, the Drug Enforcement Commission (DEC) said in April.

Dozens of young Zambians were also arrested after allegedly being recruited to be call-centre agents in the fraudulent activities, including internet fraud and online scams, the DEC said during the arrests.

The 22 people convicted in Lusaka on Friday held different positions in the Chinese-run Golden Top Support Services, the company at the centre of the raid.

The company, located in Roma, an upmarket suburb of Lusaka, is yet to comment on the allegations.

The Zambian nationals were charged in April and released on bail so they could help the authorities with their investigations.

Authorities said the Zambians involved had been tasked “with engaging in deceptive conversations with unsuspecting mobile users across various platforms such as WhatsApp, Telegram, chatrooms and others, using scripted dialogues”.

Among equipment seized were devices allowing callers to disguise their location and thousands of Sim cards.

During the raid, 11 Sim boxes were discovered – these are devices that can route calls across genuine phone networks.

More than 13,000 Sim cards, both local and foreign, were also confiscated, demonstrating “the extent of the operation’s reach,” according to the DEC.

Two firearms and about 78 rounds of ammunition were confiscated and two vehicles, belonging to a Chinese national linked to the business, were also impounded during the raid.

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8 June 2024
International Chinese scammers reap long prison sentences as female convict cries for Papa

AN UNSCRIPTED emotional drama unfolded at the Lusaka Magistrates Court yesterday as a female Chinese convicted for internet fraud wailed in anguish and apparent while clasping on her criminal Boss who also going to jail along with 20 of his male compatriots for the same crime.

As the only woman of the gang, a seven year jail term pronounced on Gu Tianjiao yesterday not only ends her freedom but also separates her from partners in crime, thousands of kilometres away from home.

“Papa, Papa, Papa,” wailed Gu Tianjiao as her Boss master Li Xianlin made his way to Kasalanga with a running engine to start his own jail stay of 11 years.

The two are among the 21 Chinese nationals and a Cameroonian who in real life imitated the money hungry scammers in the movie ‘The Bee Keeper’ and wiped clean the accounts of people and wage earners through internet fraud.

Li Xianlin imported 20 Chinese and a Cameroonian as his employees and enhanced his work force by employing 55 Zambians as call center agents to scam the masses under the umbrella of Golden Top Support Services Limited.

Youthful Zambians had an easy way out of the fraudulent syndicate, as they by the DEC a condition that they assist with investigations.

The convicts are identified as Li Xianlin Enxnin Bai, Gu Tianjiao , Jia Ye, Ding Wenyu, Shi Feng, Zhao Di, He Qiu, Yang Yingming, Zhou Lin, He Binhua, Yang Chuan, Sun Pan, Li Wenquiang, Tang Wei, Luo Zhiwen, Hu Dawei, Wang Jiding, Hou Jing, Dai Bing Deng Hu and Emmanuel Tangi Fogwe.

They were charged with Computer related misrepresentation, identity related crime, and operating a network without a license.

Not only did the International scammers steal from Zambians by duping them to send their mobile money details so that they could be beneficiaries of ‘impiya shabalanda, impiya sha CDF and Impiya sha debt restructuring’ , people from Singapore, Peru, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) also fell victim in the internet fraud.

When taken to Court the 22 readily pleaded guilty to the crimes they committed, before Principal resident magistrate Sylvia Munyinya.

Facts are that the DEC and ZICTA pounced on the accused’s premises in Kalundu area after being tipped by members of the public who saw employees frequenting the place which had no proper business definition.

During the search 135 personal computers, 1 laptop, a Toyota Alphard registration number BAT 8373, 37000 SIM cards (both Local and International), one iPad, two pistols with 73 rounds of ammunition, MW 13, 143.00, $ 20.00 and 17,000 Dinars cash, 23 cell phones and 11 SIM boxes were recovered and seized.

Investigations revealed that the convicts faked other people’s identities using a version of WhatsApp web which allows for the creation of multiple WhatsApp accounts on one device.

The mobile numbers used in creating fake identities were not registered in the convicts’ names or under the names of Golden Top Limited’s employees but were registered under other people’s names and when some of the people whose identities were used were contacted, expressed ignorance over the registration and existence of those mobile numbers under their identities.

The 22 falsified data with intentions that it may be acted upon as if it were authentic by unsuspecting members of the public.

Chats were initiated using a script file called

“Script.txt” which contained specific information that was to be shared with the targeted victims. The convicts would purport to be employees of multinational entities such as Google, Gemini and acting in these falsified capacities, they would assign their victims tasks of marketing places on google location.

At the completion of the said tasks, the victims were be lured to Telegram, to get their payment for the task.

The inputs on the fake proof of payment documents were electronically created using Photoshop to lure unsuspecting members of the public into thinking that the investments were genuine and would also invest in order to generate interest on their investment.

The mobile network operated by the convicts without the requisite licences from the Zambia Information and Communication Telecommunications Authority (ZICTA) had specific sim cards which were used to bypass and divert calls from established and licensed mobile network operators and terminating their calls for financial gain.

Li Xianlin and his fellow fraudsters confirmed to the truthfulness of the facts and were subsequently convicted by the Court.

In mitigation lawyer representing the Chinese Douglas Njolomba asked the Court to exercise leniency in meting out punishment and consider imposing a fine.

Timmy Munalula who is representing the Cameroonian Emmanuel Tangi Fogwe asked the court to impose any fine without exceeding the penalty units.

He said his client was youthful and capable of amending his ways when given a second chance.

In judgement magistrate Munyinya said computer related offenses were on the rise and innocent citizens have been scammed of their hard earned income due to scamming activities using computer systems.

She said she had taken into consideration that the punishment for the offenses committed was a fine but there is need to mete out harsh sentences to deter would be offenders.

“Considering the nature of the offenses committed, imprisonment is justified,” the magistrate said.

Magistrate Munyinya assumed the role of ‘The Beekeeper’ in order to ‘protect the hive’ and imposed custodial sentences on the convicts.

She fined the leader Li Xianlin K30,000 for computer related misrepresentation in default nine months imprisonment. In addition to the fine she sentenced him to four years imprisonment with hard labor.

His employees were jailed for four years with hard labor for computer related misrepresentation, except the female whose imprisonment will be simple.

For identity related crime all the 22 were fined K40, 000 each to be paid there and then in default nine months imprisonment. They were also sentenced to three years imprisonment with hard labor and simple imprisonment for the female.

In the last Count Li Xianlin was fined K50, 000 for operating a network without a license in default nine months imprisonment. He was also slapped with a jail term of four years.

Magistrate Munyinya said the sentences will run consecutively with effect from the date of arrest on April 5, 2024.

After the jailing Gu Tianjiao cried uncontrollably like a baby and stomped her feet upon learning that she would spend seven lonely years behind bars, while her partners in crime were a in a group.

Li Xianlin had to give the 30 year-old who shouted “papa, papa, papa”, a bear hug to comfort her whilst assuring her that things would be okay.

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Zambia uncovers ‘sophisticated’ Chinese cybercrime syndicate
10 April 2024

A “sophisticated internet fraud syndicate” has been uncovered in Zambia, leading to the arrest of 77 people, including 22 Chinese nationals.

It was a “significant breakthrough in the fight against cybercrime”, the authorities said after a multi-agency raid on a Chinese-run company.

The firm employed Zambians who believed they were to be call-centre agents.

Among equipment seized were devices allowing callers to disguise their location and thousands of Sim cards.

Golden Top Support Services, the company at the centre of the raid, has not commented on the allegations.

The swoop on its premises, located in Roma, an upmarket suburb of the capital, Lusaka, was led by the Drug Enforcement Commission (DEC) and also involved the police, the immigration department and anti-terrorism unit.

It came after months of intelligence gathering by the agencies following an alarming rise in internet fraud cases in Zambia, DEC director general Nason Banda said after Tuesday’s raid.

He said Golden Top Support Services had recruited ” unsuspecting” Zambians aged between 20 and 25.

They had been tasked “with engaging in deceptive conversations with unsuspecting mobile users across various platforms such as WhatsApp, Telegram, chatrooms and others, using scripted dialogues”.

During the operation 11 Sim boxes were found – these are devices that can route calls in a way that bypasses legitimate phone networks.

This enables them to be used “for fraudulent activities, including internet fraud and online scams”, Mr Banda said.

More than 13,000 Sim cards – both domestic and international – were also seized, which underscored “the extent of the operation’s reach”, the DEC head said.

An increasing number of Zambians were losing money from their bank accounts through money-laundering schemes, though this scam’s alleged “illicit operations extended beyond Zambia’s borders”, he said.

Evidence indicated people in countries including Singapore, Peru, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and others across Africa had been targeted.

Two firearms and about 78 rounds of ammunition were confiscated and two vehicles, belonging to a Chinese national linked to the business, have been impounded.

Mr Banda said the Zambian nationals had been charged and released on bail so they could help the authorities with their investigations.

The foreign nationals – 22 Chinese men and a Cameroonian – remain in custody.

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2024.6.11

22 名中国公民和一名喀麦隆男子因在赞比亚犯下网络犯罪被判处长期监禁。

据报道，该团伙唯一的女罪犯古天娇(Gu Tianjiao)周五在卢萨卡地方法院被判处七年有期徒刑，当听到这一判决时，她哭喊着“爸爸，爸爸”。

该团伙部分成员——包括其主谋李先林(Li Xianlin)——被判处最高11年监禁。

该团体成员还每人被罚款 1,500 至 3,000 美元。

赞比亚当局称，远至新加坡、秘鲁和阿拉伯联合酋长国的受害者都成为了其网络诈骗的受害者。

经过数周的审判，犯罪者对三项指控表示认罪——计算机相关的虚假陈述、身份相关的犯罪以及非法操作网络或服务。

周五被判入狱的 22 人是今年 4 月份被捕的 77 名嫌疑人的一部分，他们涉嫌与当局所称的“复杂的网络诈骗集团”有关。

卢萨卡一家中资企业遭突袭前，该国网络诈骗案件数量急剧上升，诈骗目标遍布全球各个国家。

赞比亚缉毒委员会 (DEC) 四月份表示，越来越多的赞比亚人通过延伸到其他国家的洗钱计划丢失了他们的手机和银行账户中的资金。

赞比亚环境部在逮捕行动中表示，还有数十名赞比亚年轻人被捕，他们涉嫌被招募为呼叫中心代理，从事网络诈骗和在线诈骗等欺诈活动。

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2024.6.11

22中國人涉跨國網路詐騙 在尚比亞被判7至11年徒刑

22位中國公民因對尚比亞人及新加坡、秘魯與阿拉伯聯合大公國等國民眾進行網路詐騙等網路犯罪，7日遭到尚比亞法院分別判處7至11年不等徒刑。

美聯社報導，這22名中國公民在尚比亞被控做出電腦相關虛假陳述、進行身分詐騙及非法營運網絡或服務，並已於5日認罪。尚比亞首都路沙卡（Lusaka）的治安法庭（Magistrates Court）分別判處他們7至11年不等徒刑，以及1500至3000美元（約新台幣4萬8600元至9萬7200元）不等罰款。

這22位中國人屬於一個77人團體，其中大部分為尚比亞人。這77人於4月遭到逮捕，警方稱他們的團體是一個「精細複雜的網路詐騙集團」。

尚比亞緝毒委員會主席班達（Nason Banda）表示，由於當局注意到網路相關詐欺案件激增，以及許多民眾抱怨自己的手機或銀行帳戶無故損失金錢，因此展開調查。

尚比亞的緝毒委員會官員、警方、移民部門及反恐單位4月突襲搜索一家位於路沙卡高級郊區的中國公司，並逮捕前述77人，包括今天被判刑的22名中國人。當局還在行動中起獲1萬3000多張尚比亞及外國手機SIM卡、2把槍枝及78發彈藥。

根據班達當時說法，這家名為「金頂支援服務」（Golden Top Support Services）的中企雇用「缺乏戒心」的尚比亞人，年齡介於20至25歲，讓他們使用SIM卡「在WhatsApp、Telegram、聊天室及其他各種平台上，按照腳本在談話中欺騙缺乏戒心的手機用戶」。

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赞比亚 | 网络诈骗案宣判主谋11年有期徒刑
2024-06-11 02:17 博茨瓦纳

据赞比亚缉毒委员会（DEC）消息，当地时间6月7日，卢萨卡地方法院对4月9日网络诈骗案进行审理并做出判决。

卢萨卡地方法院表示，2024 年 4 月 5 日，DEC官员收到了有关在Golden Top Support Services Limited涉嫌从事网络诈骗，非法假冒、盗用他人身份，在后续调查取证后，于4月9日以涉及网络诈骗等罪名对居住在罗马镇的卡桑古拉路的 77 名嫌疑人进行逮捕。

根据法庭上呈现的案件事实及对查获设备的数字取证分析显示，被告使用 WhatsApp 网页版的修改版本创建了虚假身份，从而可以在单个设备上创建多个帐户。这些虚假账户与以毫无戒心的个人名义注册的手机号码相关联，他们并伪造数据，欺骗公众，从事网络诈骗。许多被冒用身份的人并不知道这些注册信息和手机号码的存在。

卢萨卡地方法院宣判，该案涉及二十一名中国公民和一名喀麦隆人，他们面临的指控包括：违反2021 年《网络安全和网络犯罪法》、2009 年《信息和通信技术法》主谋Li Xianlin,被判处十一年监禁，120,000瓦查的罚款，其余涉案人员均被判处七年监禁、罚款70,000瓦查，并需在狱内服役。

被判有罪的个人：

Li Xianlin, Enxin Bai, Gu Tianjiao, Jia Ye, Ding Wenyu, Shi Feng, Zhao Di, He Qiu, Yang Yingming, Zhou Lin, He Binhua, Yang Chuan, Sun Pan, Li Wenqiang, Tang Wei, Luo Zhiwen, Hu Dawei, Wang Jidong, Hou Jing, Dai Bing, Deng Hu, Emmanuel Tangi Fogwe，他们年龄均在 25 至 51 岁之间，其中一名为女性。

在此事中被扣押并应上交国家的物品包括：135 台台式电脑、一台笔记本电脑、11 个 SIM 卡盒、一辆丰田Alphard 汽车、37000 张 SIM 卡、一台iPad、两支手枪、73 发子弹和二十三部手机及一些现金，这些人的成功定罪凸显了赞比亚执法机构致力于打击网络犯罪和保护公众免受网络欺诈的决心。

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2024-04-12 21:50 博茨瓦纳

当地时间4月9日，据赞比亚缉毒委员会（DEC）官方消息称，在DEC与赞警方、移民部等相关部门的通力协作下，成功打击位于卢萨卡罗马的一伙网络诈骗组织。

在联合行动中，DEC在现场收缴了 93 台台式电脑、43台新电脑和笔记本电脑、卫星设备以及其他信息通信技术相关设备。此外，还缴获了两把枪以及78发弹药，两辆机动车辆，通讯模拟器以及超过1300万张赞比亚及国际电话卡，该组织绕过当地服务提供商的网络进行欺诈活动，其非法活动范围超出了赞比亚，如新加坡、秘鲁、阿联酋和非洲大陆其他国家。

本次行动共逮捕了 77 名嫌疑人，其中包括来自赞比亚的 50 名男性和 27 名女性，1 名喀麦隆公民以及令人关注的是有22 名中国公民，也找到逮捕。在初步审讯后，仅有17名赞比亚嫌疑人被释放，其他成员被拘留接受进一步审问。

据透露，该组织雇用了20至25岁之间毫无戒心的赞比亚年轻人，其中大部分是毕业生，被雇佣的年轻人以为他们在担任呼叫中心代理，主要工作是通过 WhatsApp、Telegram等各种平台与移动用户使用脚本进行对话。

DEC 强调网络诈骗与电信诈骗案件的惊人增加，导致公民遭受重大经济损失，并助长了各种形式的洗钱行为。随着技术的不断进步，EDC将继续在打击网络犯罪和保护赞比亚民众的利益方面做出努力。