BEIJING — China has been strengthening its forces for combating telecom and internet fraud, with 32 provincial anti-fraud centers and 206 city-level anti-fraud centers having been established, according to the Ministry of Public Security (MPS).

Chinese police solved 83,000 cases of telecom and internet fraud in 2016, up 49.6 percent year on year.

The ministry noted that the number of cases has dropped significantly since last September.

The increase in telecom and internet fraud has been contained, according to the MPS. The economic losses caused by telecom and internet fraud in 2016 decreased by 10.9 percent from 2015.

According to the ministry, Chinese police have successfully stopped 1.55 million bank transfers to fraudulent accounts with a total amount of 5 billion yuan (around $730 million) since banks and police began cooperation.