Chinese police will maintain a harsh response to telecom fraud and keep up international law enforcement cooperation to dismantle fraud dens abroad and hunt down major fugitives, said Zhang Ming, spokeswoman of the Ministry of Public Security.

She made the remarks at a news conference on Friday, emphasizing that the situation of telecom fraud "remains serious and complicated".

The offenses are usually carried out by highly organized groups, some of which place their lower-level members under false imprisonment through violence, she said, adding that there is a large number of so-called "science and technology parks" and "development zones" overseas housing these fraudsters.

These groups also have members in China, who are directed by the group leaders to develop smartphone applications for committing fraud and to launder money, according to Zhang.

The fraudsters have sped up the creation of new schemes to cheat people of different ages, engaging in different professions and with different academic backgrounds, she said, adding that they are using emerging technologies, such as blockchain, virtual currency and artificial intelligence to upgrade their tools.

She noted that the police will continue to crack down on money laundering and other illegal businesses in China which are linked to fraud and will enhance alert and prevention to prevent people from falling victim to the fraud.