.png)
3 months ago
1
Toggle the table of contents
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
National Anti-Fraud Center (NAFC) is a Chinese fraud prevention and reporting mobile application developed by the Ministry of Public Security. It was first published in March 2021. The software claims that it can maintain telecommunications network security, create channels for reporting online fraud and raising awareness for fraud prevention.[1] The Chinese government claims that the app can be used to detect possible telecommunication frauds in addition to reporting them,[2] and heavily promotes its installation. The app was temporarily removed from the App Store in 2024 and 2025.[citation needed][3]
The National Anti-Fraud Center app detects received calls, SMS and downloaded apps, and if suspicious content is found and identified as fraudulent, it will actively warn users. The app also provides a "I want to report" function, which enables users to submit suspicious cell phone numbers, SMS, websites, APPs and other information to the public security department for processing. In addition, the app also pushes articles on fraud prevention to users to promote fraud prevention.
For iOS devices, the app is only available for Apple accounts with China-based locations and cannot be downloaded from accounts in other countries.[4]
The app has faced many controversies. Citizens are reportedly forced to install it on their phone despite its excessive permission requests, privacy violations, and identifying and interrogating users who visit overseas financial websites.[5]
Registration for this application requires facial recognition, in addition to scanning the phone for installed applications.[6] It has been reported that citizens in cities like Shenzhen are forced to install it on their smartphone, leading to complaints.[7][8][9][10] Citizens who have visited foreign financial news websites like Bloomberg are reportedly tracked by the app and interrogated by the police.[5][11]
