A GROUP of sixteen people were given jail terms of up to 15 years for defrauding phone users of money by colluding with dozens of phone operators and service providers around China via software developed by a Shenzhen-based telecommunications company over the past few years.

    The software developed by Shenzhen Xinlian Intercommunication Technology Co. helped the suspects rake in more than 67 million yuan (US$9.75 million) between April 2011 and July 2012.

    All the illegal income of the suspects was confiscated and put into the State treasury, according to a verdict issued by Shenzhen Intermediate People’s Court on Friday.

    The company was established in November 2010. Under a decision by several directors and technicians, the company’s technology team developed the software to charge phone users.

    In order to gain access to phone users, several staff members of the company contacted dozens of telecom service providers in Shenzhen, Beijing, Shanghai and other cities in China and promised to share profits.

    With the charging channels provided by these companies, Xinlian managed to overcharge a large number of phone users over two years.

    The company also collaborated with mobile solution providers and manufacturers so they could insert the software directly into new mobile phones, allowing them to charge the phone users without them knowing.

    With this trick, it was calculated that the company had charged each phone user a few to a dozen yuan each month without letting phone users know it.

    (Zhang Qian)