Beijing (CNS)--The first half of this year witnessed a bigger number of fraud cases than other crimes. Among all areas in Beijing, the office buildings and high class hotels densely located in the area outside of Jianguomen tops the list with the most fraud cases, according to a 27-week police report from December 27, 2010 to July 3, 2011.
Besides fraud, the report showed a large quantity of indoor thefts, car break-ins, pickpockets, and motor thefts. The Legal Evening News calculated that fraud was mentioned seven times in their reports, over one fourth of all instances reported by the Beijing Public Security Bureau. As obviously as it shows, the time mentioned indicates how much emphasis the police has put on fraud crimes.
Fraud cases equaled 128 in 54 areas around the municipality. The Central Business District (CBD) outside Jianguomen replaced the university area in Haidian District, topping the list with 9 cases, 7% of all.
The CBD is business-oriented and has the headquarters of many companies. Office buildings, along with top level hotels, are the places with the most rich people from abroad or other regions of China. Unfamiliarity with the city created chances for the fraud, analyzed the police.
Most instances of fraud had several specific characterizations. The swindler would first claim him or herself to be a representative of a widely-known organization, such as a bank, the court, an online service provider, a governmental organization, or a telecom company. After trust was established, the next step was to make up whatever seemed a normal business practice of the specific organization and then ask for money.
Based on past cases, the police created some useful reminders for the public. For instance: do not easily be convinced on the phone; confirm the organization through its official contact means; and perform any payment through safe channels.
