Police crack 5,300 fraud cases

Police have solved more than 5,300 fraud cases in Beijing during a two-month campaign that started in December, up 43 percent year-on-year, the Beijing Public Security Bureau said in a news release on Tuesday.

The cases involve fake identification, fraudulent contracts and telecom and Internet scams, it said.

Police said in one case, a suspect took advantage of the professional courtesy that exists between photographers by pretending to also be a photographer.

The suspect used other people's ID cards and pretended to be working for a wedding planning company. He won the trust of more than 10 victims who allowed him borrow their cameras without leaving a deposit or signing a contract.

The suspect then sold the borrowed cameras and facilities for money, which totaled more than 100,000 yuan ($16,000), police said.

Apprehended by police on Jan 29, the suspect is now in detention and the case is under investigation.