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According to China News, scam calls surged in 2025 with high frequency, prompting people to remain especially vigilant. In alarming cases, criminals not only called using the victim’s full name, but also recited the national ID number (CCCD) and the last digits of the bank card. Some callers also appeared to know the victim’s consumer history and social activity.
Behind these “accurate calls” is a combination of leaked personal data and the misuse of technology. Two representative cases released by the Public Security Bureau of Guangdong Province (China) illustrate how scammers can obtain and use sensitive information.
In March 2025, a person surnamed Liu in Yichang City (Hunan Province) received a call from an entity posing as Douyin customer service staff. The caller claimed they could cancel the service with a fee-deducted insurance and prompted the victim to enable screen sharing.
During the call, the criminals read out the CCCD and the last digits of the bank card. They also monitored the payment password displayed on screen, stealing 31,000 RMB.
The investigation indicated that the group buys leaked user data from e-commerce platforms for less than 10 RMB per record, then uses AI voice-synthesis technology to impersonate call-center staff, reducing the victim’s suspicion.
Another person surnamed Dao fell into a similar trap after receiving a fake Douyin customer service call. The caller said the victim had inadvertently activated a “deduct livestream” feature.
Using real information purchased from the dark market, the criminals referenced the victim’s name, phone number, and recent shopping history. They then requested the payment password under the guise of “account verification.” Through Douyin conference software with screen-sharing capability, the victim’s account was debited 10,398 RMB.
Both incidents reflect a dangerous combination of leaked personal data and remote-control technology, enabling scammers to conduct highly targeted calls and extract payment credentials during screen sharing.
Chinese police described four main channels that enable personal information to be stolen:
Taken together, the cases show that scams are no longer random calls. Instead, they are premeditated attack tactics that target individuals’ data, combining stolen information with remote-control and impersonation methods to increase the likelihood of successful fraud.
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