Fraudulent apps under the banner of “state” reflect the chaos in the application market – Times Finance – Northern Net

Recently, some criminals have used various official public information to create a number of mobile applications (Apps) under the banner of “state-supported projects” and “national policies to benefit the people”, in which they have fabricated false investment and financial management projects, using high returns as bait. People who do not know the truth are deceived into “investing” in the app and then commit fraud.

Many experts said that some fake apps have caused property losses to the public and brought negative social impacts. It is recommended to continue to increase the crackdown on illegal activities, strengthen the responsibility of mobile application market entities, and enhance consumer awareness of prevention.

　　Fraudulent apps using the banner of “state”

In mid-March, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology announced a number of high-risk apps involving fraud, including several “Belt and Road” fake apps, “China Supply and Marketing Cooperative” fake apps, “China Rural Development Foundation” fake apps, and “China Chip” fake apps. “Fake App,” “Made in China” fake App, etc.

The Anti-Fraud Special Class of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology reminds that there are many fraud-related apps. Please download the App from the regular channels. You can get the latest fraud-related apps through the column of the Anti-Fraud Special Class official account of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology. High-risk App information.

The reporter’s investigation found that similar cases have appeared from time to time in recent years. A case announced by the People’s Procuratorate of Qingyang County, Chizhou City, Anhui Province at the end of last year showed that a criminal gang headed by Wu Moumou and Liu Moumou established a pyramid selling organization without any actual business activities, and used the “Belt and Road” as a cover in the promotion process. , developed the “Belt and Road” App platform, using the names of “power development”, “infrastructure” and other projects to induce others to register for the App and invest in virtual projects as members to earn profits.

The organization uses “expert lectures”, online live broadcasts, WeChat groups and other methods to promote and develop a large number of members. By establishing membership levels, a superior-subordinate relationship is formed, and income methods such as product income, agency commissions, team development allowances, and team investment rewards are set up. The gang headed by Wu Moumou and Liu Moumou used the App to continuously develop and offline, with as many as 36 membership levels, and the cumulative amount involved was nearly 100 million yuan.

Some fraudulent apps even steal the names of national ministries and commissions and use the country’s credibility to commit fraud. For example, the icon of the fake “Ministry of Social Security” app adopts the style of the national emblem. These fake apps have some obvious characteristics. For example, when inviting users to register an account, they require the user to fill in the recommender invitation code, and use words such as “insider information”, “high returns” and “guaranteed profits without losing money” to trick the public into giving away their money. Transfer to illegal account.

Zhao Zhanhan, a special researcher at China University of Political Science and Law, believes that the defrauded people are direct victims and have suffered corresponding property losses. At the same time, illegal personnel engage in illegal and criminal activities such as fraud in the name of the country or government departments, damaging the image and credibility of relevant government departments.

　　Reflecting the chaos in the App market

“Li Gui” apps are also frequently appearing in the financial industry. Dongxing Fund announced in mid-March that criminals have recently used the name and logo of “Dongxing Fund” to pretend to be employees of the company to provide illegal securities consulting activities; criminals have provided the company’s registered address, office address, business license and other means that have been published online. It is suspected that in the name of refunding fees, he sent fraudulent messages to corporate customers through phone calls, apps and other channels, inducing customers to refund fees and commit illegal fund fraud.

At the end of January this year, Dacheng Fund also issued a “Reminding Investors to Beware of Financial Frauds” announcement, stating that according to customer reports, criminals have used the company’s name to set up counterfeit apps and websites to induce investors to recharge and refund fees to engage in illegal activities such as fraud. Since the beginning of this year, no less than 10 fund companies have issued similar financial fraud risk warnings, and fake financial apps have become a common means of online fraud.

Experts interviewed said that behind the fake and fraudulent apps, issues such as industry chaos and underground black industry need to be paid attention to.

Hu Gang, deputy secretary-general of the Legal Affairs Committee of the Internet Society of China, said that although the management of the application market is becoming more and more strict and standardized, in fact, the application market itself is the main business entity, and most application markets only conduct superficial review and technical review. For prevention, if the App itself submitted by the applicant complies with the relevant technical specifications and has no obvious Trojans, viruses, etc., in principle, most applications can pass.

Zhao Zhanzhan said that some fraud-related apps are launched in mobile application markets, and some application markets may not review whether the operating activities of the apps are illegal due to commercial interests. Objectively, it is also difficult to judge in advance whether the app operator has committed illegal or criminal acts.

Some public security department staff said that with the continuous updating of technological means, fraudsters have used packaging platforms and automated tools to mass-generate fraudulent apps, forming a skilled black industry chain. Some distribution platforms and download links are out of control, making it difficult to fight against e-fraud products and fraud-related apps.

Zhao Zhanzhan said that the download channel for some fraudulent apps may not be the application market, but self-built websites or small programs, etc., and users can download or log in directly. Hu Gang said that many fraudulent apps directly induce users to download one-to-one and accurately, such as sending download links through separate channels.

　　Comprehensive measures to intensify the crackdown

Many interviewees suggested that relevant departments need to take comprehensive measures against fraud-related apps, speed up the improvement of laws and regulations, increase supervision and review efforts, and strengthen daily supervision of operations. Improve technical prevention capabilities by developing smarter and more efficient security detection tools and establishing a blacklist database of fraudulent apps, effectively curbing the growth and spread of fraudulent apps, and protecting users’ property and information security.

The mobile application market should be a good “gatekeeper”. A case announced by the Cyber ​​Security Bureau of the Ministry of Public Security in the middle of last year showed that the Siming Public Security Bureau of Xiamen, Fujian Province received a notification from the Electronic Taxation Management Center of the State Administration of Taxation that a mobile application market provided download services for 6 fake “Personal Income Tax” apps of the State Administration of Taxation. , the icon of the related counterfeit app is exactly the same as the “Personal Income Tax” App icon of the State Administration of Taxation, and the name is also highly similar.

The police issued a fine to the mobile application market operating company. For failing to fulfill its network security protection obligations and failing to implement a content review system, the company was fined 20,000 yuan in accordance with the law, and the company’s legal representative was fined 8,000 yuan in accordance with the law.

Zhao Zhan suggested that the mobile phone application market should strengthen the handling of fraud-related information, constantly improve technology and management methods, and fulfill its obligations of prior review, in-process supervision, and timely disposal afterwards. Apps that are obviously copied and fake should be strictly reviewed and not put on the shelves. Special attention should be paid to certain types of apps, such as whether there is a possibility of financial fraud in apps related to finance and wealth management.

Hu Gang suggested that consumers should improve their awareness of network security, try to download apps through regular mobile application markets, avoid scanning QR codes sent by strangers such as so-called “customer service” to download apps, and do not click on unfamiliar links. If you have any information or clues about fraudulent apps, you should promptly complain and report to the regulatory authorities and safeguard your legitimate rights and interests in accordance with the law.