14 DAY TRIAL // A number of 42 websites owned by so-called journalists who made tons of money after blackmailing individuals were shut down by authorities in China.
According to China Daily, sites such as fz-china.com.cn were operated by scammers who pretended to be journalists from government or public welfare agencies.
The fraudsters contacted their victims and asked them to pay certain amounts of money for which the alleged reporter would keep quiet.
The con artists used fake IDs and forged press badges to gain more credibility, but in the end, their malicious plots were uncovered.
A source from within the State Internet Information Office revealed that the individuals that were running these operations would be punished.
With the closure of these websites and another 21, whose activity was terminated recently, Chinese authorities have taken down 107 illegal sites in the past two months alone.