How to Report Cybercrime in China (and Get Your Money Back)

Quick answer: In mainland China, call the police on 110 to report a crime in progress, and call the Ministry of Public Security anti-fraud hotline 96110 (or report through the National Anti-Fraud Center app) the moment you suspect fraud. Then call your bank immediately and ask them to stop the payment and freeze the receiving account. Getting money back is realistic only if it is intercepted before the scammer withdraws it; once funds are cashed out or moved on, recovery is rare.

What to do in 3 steps

1. Call your bank now. Report the transaction as fraud and ask them to stop the payment and freeze the receiving account. Under the rapid stop-payment and freezing mechanism, money still sitting in the recipient account can be held while police act, so speed decides whether it can be recovered.
2. Report to the police and the anti-fraud center. Call 110 if it is happening now, or the anti-fraud hotline 96110, and report through the National Anti-Fraud Center app (Guojia Fan Zha Zhongxin), which is run by the Ministry of Public Security. Give the transfer details and keep your case or reference number.
3. Report the scam channel. For fraudulent calls, text messages, or spam, report to the 12321 Network Bad and Spam Information Reporting Center on 010-12321 or at www.12321.cn so the number or content can be blocked.

How recovery actually works

The 2022 Anti-Telecom and Online Fraud Law requires the public security authorities to operate systems for instant inquiry, emergency stop of payment, and rapid freezing of funds linked to telecom and online fraud, with later return of the money to victims. When the police decide to act, banks and non-bank payment institutions are legally required to cooperate. In practice this means that if you report quickly and the police trace the fraudulent transfer while the cash is still in the receiving (mule) account, that account can be frozen and the money held pending return. The window is short: scammers typically split and withdraw the money within minutes to hours, so every minute between the transfer and your report matters. There is no automatic, guaranteed reimbursement from your bank; recovery depends on freezing the funds before they move.

What to have ready

• The exact transfer details: date, time, amount, and the recipient account number or payment ID
• Your own bank or payment-platform account information
• The name of the app, platform, or website where the scam took place
• Chat logs, messages, and any phone numbers the scammer used
• Screenshots of the transaction confirmations and conversations
• Your ID document and the case or reference number from your first report

Frequently asked questions

What is the 96110 number? 96110 is the national anti-fraud warning and dissuasion hotline run by the Ministry of Public Security. If you receive a call from it, answer it: it often means the system has flagged that you may be in contact with a scammer. You can also call it to report fraud or ask for advice.

Do I have to use the National Anti-Fraud Center app? No, it is not mandatory, but it lets you report fraudulent numbers and content directly, check suspicious accounts, and receive real-time scam warnings. You can also report by phone on 96110 or 110, or in person at a local police station.

Can I get my money back if the scammer already withdrew it? It is much harder. The freeze-and-return mechanism works on funds still sitting in the receiving account. Once the money has been cashed out, moved through multiple accounts, or sent abroad, recovery becomes rare, which is why reporting within minutes is critical.

Sources

• Anti-Telecom and Online Fraud Law of the People's Republic of China (Supreme People's Procuratorate, English text)
• Anti-Telecom and Online Fraud Law (Ministry of Justice, English text)
• Successful Anti-Fraud Practice in China, describing 96110 and the National Anti-Fraud Center (Embassy of the People's Republic of China)
• 12321 Network Bad and Spam Information Reporting Center

For step-by-step reporting and recovery guides covering other countries, see our cybercrime help hub.