China mounts fight on fake invoice fraud

China's police departments will launch a 30-day campaign starting Wednesday to hunt down fugitives who are suspected of having committed a crime known as fake invoice fraud.

The campaign will have a code name known as "spring thunder", said Liu Jinguo, Vice Minister of Public Security.

While addressing a teleconference Monday, the vice minister said: "As the Spring Festival is drawing near, the demand for fake invoices remains strong. Perpetrators will get on the move."

Statistics show that the police across the country uncovered 237 cases involving fake invoice fraud and detained 234 suspects in January. They also destroyed eight large sites making and selling fake invoices, and confiscated more than 12 million fake invoices in the past month.

Fake invoice vendors are common in Chinese cities, where they offer receipts used for tax purposes. Such invoices could cause huge losses in tax revenues and could feed illegal activities, such as smuggling, money laundering and corruption.

The Spring Festival, or the New Year's Day on the Chinese lunar calendar, will fall Sunday. It is an occasion for reunions of relatives and friends, completed with much fun and plenty of eatings. Spring Festival is the most important event for people of Chinese origin.

Source: Xinhua