Policing Cyber Fraud in China: Challenges, Responses, and Crime Displacement

The current study examined cyber fraud policing in China through semi-structured interviews with 21 Chinese police officers. The findings suggest that the interviewees view cyber fraud as a form of transnational organised cybercrime, which poses multidimensional challenges to policing. Networked and proactive responses have been developed and are perceived as effective in preventing cyber fraud, although the interviewees noted that these practices have also facilitated some unintended consequences, such as crime displacement. Nevertheless, analysis indicates that policing is not the sole factor influencing cyber fraud displacement, as criminal motivations and opportunities remain salient in both Chinese and global contexts.