The affected provinces included Henan, Jiangxi, Liaoning, Guangxi, and Zhejiang, though all telecom operators provide the choice of opting out of the feature.Īuthorities say more than half of the telecom fraud in China originates from outside the country, and from Southeast Asia in particular. While China Mobile in Zhejiang is the first to restrict incoming international calls, multiple carriers switched off incoming text messages from outside the Chinese mainland in other locations as early as July 2021. I believe the function of the majority of consumers, unaware of the news, will just be shut down. “I felt negative about the move, especially after seeing that China tightened up its border,” she told Sixth Tone. Though she usually uses the messaging app WeChat to contact her parents, she calls them on their phone during emergencies. Veronica Wang Jingyi, a Chinese PhD student in the United Kingdom, has asked her parents in Zhejiang to opt out of the China Mobile feature. Earlier this year, the story of a Chinese telephone scam victim who ended up in Cambodia and was forced to give blood made headlines - though Cambodian police later dismissed the claim as “ fabricated.” The plan to bar incoming international calls in Zhejiang comes as the country intensifies its crackdown on foreign-based telephone fraud targeting Chinese nationals at home. “I think it’s a good move - I’ve often been bothered by scam calls from abroad, such as from Myanmar,” Zhang said, adding his bank account has been blocked several times amid suspicion of links to scammers. He immediately opted out by texting back but said such a measure was necessary. Tony Zhang, a businessman in the manufacturing hub of Yiwu in Zhejiang, said he received the China Mobile text notifying him of the new rule in March. The duration of the restriction in Zhejiang or plans to expand the measure in other provinces remain unclear, as the company declined to comment for this story. Zhejiang residents with China Mobile plans told Sixth Tone on Monday that they had received a text message asking them to activate the overseas call service by May 20.Ĭhina Mobile is one of one of the country’s largest state-owned telecom operators along with China Telecom and China Unicom. Those subscribed to China Mobile in Zhejiang will have their incoming international calls suspended, unless users text back to continue receiving them. To combat telecom fraud from abroad, one of China’s largest telephone service providers will soon restrict users in the eastern Zhejiang province from receiving international phone calls, raising concerns that such a move is likely to further disconnect the country from the rest of the world.
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