CRI听力:Experts Call for Legal Protection from Telephone Harassment

Experts are suggesting the Chinese government establish an effective legal protection system to protect people from telephone harassment.

The suggestion has been made after a survey showing that over 9 billion spam calls were made in China during the last three months of last year.

This number doubled that of the previous year.

The survey was conducted by a leading Chinese mobile phone service company.

The report says southern Guangdong province is the biggest source of harassing phone calls while Beijing is a major victim.

Hu Gang, Secretary General of China Internet Society Research Center, says that lawmakers should give existing laws new powers in an effort to crack down on cell phone-based fraud.

"The Consumer Protection Law could be interpreted by the People's Congress using their legislative powers. If people receive cold calls which they've clearly refused before, the caller may face a 500 yuan fine. This kind of legal system can both ensure the normal operation of telephone marketing and protect the legal rights of cell phone users."

Nearly half of the frauds say that you've won a prize or that you have a parcel containing banned materials.

Others are more likely to pretend to be friends and family members, superiors, or government officials requiring you to send money.