Gang is caught in ID card scheme

Shanghai police have detained 15 people suspected of buying lost identity cards to open “black” bank accounts and then selling the documents, mostly to gangs involved in telecom fraud.

Those involved in the operation purchased ID cards found at waste recycling stations or online and used look-alikes to obtain debit accounts in the card holder’s name, according to Xuhui district police.

Xing Yuxuan, a police spokesman, said on Wednesday that the suspects had made about 60,000 yuan ($9,200) in profit.

“It’s not an enormous sum,” he said, “but telecom fraud — which is what the bank and ID cards were ultimately used for — is hated by the public, as there have been many cases in recent years causing huge financial loss.”

It’s not an enormous sum, but telecom fraud ... is hated by the public.”

Xing Yuxuan, spokesman for Xuhui district police