He told China Daily that most of the cross-border cases occurred in countries in Southeast Asia, such as Thailand and Malaysia, and it has also become common over the last three years to see Chinese go aboard to commit economic crimes.
The majority of economic crimes from overseas are related to telecom fraud, and the Internet has been the main tool used to commit them, he said.
Previously, many security investment deals were signed face-to-face, but with the development of the Internet, such agreements are now mainly managed online, which brings convenience as well as risks, according to Tan.
In one case, criminals from overseas called Chinese mainland residents randomly, posing as credit card companies, Tan said. Using computer software, the criminals made the phone calls appear as if they were coming from the Chinese mainland.
When the victims called the number back, an automated machine asked them to enter their credit card account and password, giving the criminals access to their account.
Some criminals registered shell companies and convinced people to invest and make transactions, he said.