Remember the core anti-fraud rules: don’t trust unsolicited calls, don’t share personal information, don’t click on suspicious links, and always verify any transfer requests. All seven of the most common scam types follow this same pattern.

3. Remember the core anti-fraud rules: don’t trust unsolicited calls, don’t share personal information, don’t click on suspicious links, and always verify any transfer requests. All seven of the most common scam types follow this same pattern.

Cost: No cost at all. Just memorize the “three no’s and one extra check” rule, read through the descriptions of the seven scam types below, and install the “National Anti-Fraud Center” app. Make sure to answer any calls from 96110. If someone asks you to transfer money, share your screen, download an unknown app, click a link, or share verification codes, hang up first and then call the official hotline to verify. The hard part is that scammers often pressure you to act immediately — you must resist that pressure and hang up first.

In plain terms: If someone asks you to transfer money, share your screen, download an unknown app, click a link, or share verification codes, hang up first and then call the official number to verify. The seven most common scam types are fake “task reward” schemes, fraudulent investment offers, fake loan scams, impersonation of customer service agents, impersonation of police or judicial officials, romance scams, and fake “task reward” schemes involving seduction. All of them aim to get you to send money first. Spotting them in advance is far cheaper than trying to recover lost funds later.

Benefit: By law, government agencies and relevant departments must inform the public about common tactics used in telecom and online fraud. Public security authorities, together with financial, telecom, and internet regulators, run a nationwide early warning and prevention system to reach out to people at risk of being scammed. 96110 is this unified national hotline for such warnings — you should always answer calls from it. According to a June 2026 report from the Ministry of Public Security, the top 10 most common scam types account for 85% of all telecom fraud cases. Fake “task reward” schemes are the most prevalent, making up 25% of all cases. Fraudulent investment offers cause the greatest financial losses, accounting for roughly 40% of total fraud-related losses. The Fujian Provincial Public Security Department has outlined specific identifying features for each type. For fake “task reward” schemes: “Anyone urging you to join a money-making scheme is likely trying to take your money; they won’t refund your initial deposit unless you complete endless tasks.” For fraudulent investment offers: “Fake promoters post fake profit reports in online groups; they give small initial returns to encourage you to invest more, then demand ‘taxes’ before allowing any withdrawals.” For fake loan scams: “Legitimate loans never require upfront deposits or proof of bank transactions; any such requests are a red flag.” For impersonation of customer service agents: “They claim you have an active membership that will incur automatic fees and harm your credit score, pressuring you to transfer money to cancel it.” For impersonation of police or judicial officials: “No legitimate police or judicial agency has any so-called ‘safe accounts’; any ‘law enforcement’ contact via phone, QQ, WeChat, or online platforms is a scam.” For romance scams: “Never trust anyone you’ve only met via photos or video calls; they often invent urgent reasons to ask for money without ever agreeing to a video chat or in-person meeting.” For seduction-based “task reward” schemes: “They arrange a meeting first, then demand you complete ‘tasks’ that require ever-larger payments.” Spotting these scams early is far cheaper than trying to reverse unauthorized transfers later. How much money you can recover depends on whether it remains in your account at the time of reporting; for details on how to request a transfer reversal, see section 2 (call 110 or 96110 to request a reversal). (Nationwide, effective December 2022)

Evidence grade: B

Sources: Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (2022). Anti-telecommunications network fraud law (Articles 8, 20, 34). <https://www.spp.gov.cn/spp/fl/202209/t20220902_575631.shtml>; Ministry of Public Security of China (2026). Ministry of Public Security of China press conference: Informing the latest situation of current telecommunications network fraud crimes, Features Tip Key points for preventing telecommunications network fraud (June 12, 2026): "The above 10 types of cases account for 85% of all electronic fraud cases. Among them, bill rebate fraud has the highest incidence, accounting for 25% of all electronic fraud cases; false online investment and financial management fraud has the highest losses, accounting for about 40% of all electronic fraud cases." <https://www.mps.gov.cn/n2254536/n2254544/n2254552/n10491781/index.html>; Fujian Provincial Public Security Department (2023). 96110 Incoming calls, please be sure to answer. <http://gat.fujian.gov.cn/ztzl/fjjffpzxrx/spjq/202303/t20230306_6126156.htm> (Provincial public security agency page, including "Do not trust calls, do not disclose information, do not click on links, and verify transfers" and "Beware of fraudulent calls starting with 192" tips); Fujian Provincial Public Security Department (2023 to 2024). Column on fraud detection skills: Order fraud <http://gat.fujian.gov.cn/ztzl/fjjffpzxrx/spjq/202307/t20230703_6196881.htm>; Investment and financial management <http://gat.fujian.gov.cn/ztzl/fjjffpzxrx/spjq/202312/t20231220_6362145.htm>; Loan <http://gat.fujian.gov.cn/ztzl/fjjffpzxrx/spjq/202312/t20231207_6326741.htm>; Impersonating customer service <http://gat.fujian.gov.cn/ztzl/fjjffpzxrx/spjq/202310/t20231020_6279505.htm>; Pretending to be a public prosecutor <http://gat.fujian.gov.cn/ztzl/fjjffpzxrx/spjq/202309/t20230913_6255863.htm>; Pig killing plate <http://gat.fujian.gov.cn/ztzl/fjjffpzxrx/spjq/202308/t20230818_6232030.htm>; Sex lure and fraud <http://gat.fujian.gov.cn/ztzl/fjjffpzxrx/spjq/202403/t20240307_6410612.htm>

Notes: Scammers posing as police, judicial officials, customer service agents, supervisors, or platform risk control staff all use the same basic tactic: they ask you to “cooperate with an investigation”, “cancel a membership”, “join a task reward scheme”, or “access insider investment opportunities”. Legitimate loans never require upfront deposits, and no police or judicial agency has any “safe accounts” — remembering these two facts alone can help you avoid most scams. This is graded B because the “three no’s and one extra check” rule is only an official public awareness slogan; there are no hard statistics showing exactly how much it reduces scam victimization. The rule and the list of seven scam types are taken from provincial public security department websites. The top 10 scam types identified by the Ministry of Public Security in 2026 also include impersonation of e-commerce and logistics customer service agents, fake loan and credit report scams, fraudulent online gaming transactions, fake online dating schemes, impersonation of supervisors or acquaintances, and fake flight cancellation/refund offers — all of them follow the same pattern of ultimately demanding a money transfer.