Mobile spam plan to bring crooks to justice

NEWS The Chinese government is pioneering a new weapon against criminals - bombarding their mobile phones with messages until they turn themselves in just to end the constant harassment. Businesses posting illegal adverts which include a mobile phone number are the first to be targeted by the system which bombards mobile phones with pre-recorded voice messages. Officials in Hangzhou, the capital of China's Zhejiang province, developed the system. Illegal bill posters have become an eyesore in recent years, with China's coastal and urbanised areas blighted under a blizzard of advertisements. This is because the postcard-sized stickers, which promote everything from fake identity cards to counterfeit academic certifications, are cheap to produce and offer some anonymity. The new system rings the mobile phone numbers of illegal advertisers at 20-second time intervals, according to Chinese newspaper The People's Daily. Upon answering the call, the wrongdoer hears the pre-recorded message: "You have broken the law by posting illegal ads. You must immediately stop this activity and go to the Hangzhou Urban Administrative Bureau for punishment." While such an unsubtle approach is unlikely to lead to many convictions, the system will dent the advertisers' business as it effectively disables the phone, meaning genuine respondents are unlikely to get through.