China’s runaway hit film takes on online fraud

“One more viewer, one less fraud victim.” With this slogan, a new Chinese film — “No More Bets” — has captivated the country by tackling the issue of rampant overseas cybercrimes.

The movie offers an unprecedented look into the complex web of overseas cyber fraud, drawing inspiration from real fraud cases across China and featuring realistic portrayals of the industry’s inner workings.

Since its release on Aug. 8, “No More Bets” has dominated the domestic box office.

Inspired by tens of thousands of real fraud cases, “No More Bets,” directed by Shen Ao, revolves around a group of individuals who are tempted by lucrative overseas job offers, only to inadvertently fall into the clutches of an overseas fraud scheme.

They inadvertently find themselves trapped in fraud factories, and are forced to engage in criminal activities to survive. The film unfolds from the perspectives of criminals, victims, and the police.

Online fraud has grown rampant in China over the last few years. According to the state-run Xinhua News Agency, authorities resolved around 464,000 cases of telecommunications and online fraud in 2022, apprehending 351 gang leaders and key members of criminal groups.

Incidentally, “No More Bets” was released amid widespread debate around overseas cyber fraud on social media, where dozens of people shared their experiences of being tricked by lucrative job offers. A related hashtag has garnered over 1.3 billion views on the short video app Douyin.

According to a domestic media report, filmmakers sought help from police and the anti-fraud center to collect information related to such online scams over the past three years.

“We not only conducted interviews with numerous police officers, but also accompanied officials from relevant departments to the front lines of anti-fraud operations for investigations and arrests,” Shen told Legal Daily.

“This movie is a very realistic portrayal of the new type of overseas telecommunications and online fraud,” Zhang Pingzhe, a professor from the People’s Public Security University of China, told CCTV.