Volunteers stand guard at ATMs in Hangzhou

Hangzhou police have recruited more than 1,400 volunteers, assigning them to stand by automated teller machines to remind customers of possible scams.

A report on People.com.cn on Tuesday said police acted after finding that victims of such scams often use ATMs to remit money to fraudsters.

From Jan 1 to Jan 24, police received reports of 248 fraud cases involving 4.74 million yuan ($762,000), in which fraudsters used telecommunications to cheat victims into sending money to them. At least 82 percent of victims remitted money via ATMs, officers said.

The volunteers began work on Monday, with police saying that on the first day the volunteers prevented a woman from being cheated out of 40,000 yuan.