Prof. Xiaofan LIU’s Anti-Scam Project Awarded as Outstanding Case in World Internet Conference 2024

11 Dec 2024 (Wed)

The Department of Media and Communication (COM) at City University of Hong Kong proudly announces that Prof. Xiaofan LIU’s collaborative anti-scam project with China Unicom was recognized as one of the thirteen Outstanding Cases by the World Internet Conference (WIC) Wuzhen Summit 2024 for its innovative use of big data and artificial intelligence to tackle pressing social issues.

The WIC Wuzhen Summit is the most esteemed annual event organized by the Chinese government to deliberate on global Internet issues and policies. State Council Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang (国家副总理丁薛祥) attended this year’s Summit and delivered a keynote speech. During the event, the organizing committee announced this year’s Outstanding Cases of Jointly Building a Community with a Shared Future in Cyberspace, and China Unicom and CityUHK’s collaborative project “Pioneering Technology, Linking the World: Big Data and AI’s New Role in Scam Prevention” was recognized as one of the thirteen.

The WIC received over 230 submissions from more than 200 countries and regions this year. Topics included network infrastructure, online cultural exchanges, digital economy innovation, cybersecurity, and international cyberspace governance. From these, 30 experts selected 13 Outstanding Cases. Professor C. K. Michael TSE, Associate Vice-President (Innovation) and Director of the CityU Academy of Innovation, along with China Unicom Global Ltd.’s Chairman and President Dr. Shusen MENG, presented the Case on stage and shared their insights and experiences during the ceremony.



The project was initiated by Prof. Xiaofan LIU, Assistant Professor of COM, in collaboration with Prof. Shuhua ZHOU, Chair Professor of COM; Prof. Li Crystal JIANG, Associate Professor of COM; and Prof. Xiaohui Vincent WANG, Assistant Professor of COM. The team included four Ph.D. students and research assistants, Yushi AI, Ziqi ZHOU, Yiqian GAO, and Minyuan ZHANG. Additionally, they worked with two scholars: former COM colleague Prof. Fiona Fui-Hoon NAH, currently affiliated with Singapore Management University, and Prof. Ye WU from Beijing Normal University.
 


Telecom and network scam is one of the most critical social issues today. On a daily basis, over 80 million scam calls are made globally, resulting in financial losses amounting to billions of dollars. In Hong Kong, the number of scam cases has significantly increased over the past few years, rising from approximately 15,000 cases in 2020 to nearly 40,000 cases in 2023. Correspondingly, financial losses have escalated from 3 billion to 9 billion HKD.

To tackle this global challenge, COM collaborates with China Unicom and other enterprises, government bodies, and research institutions through technological innovation and international cooperation. The award-winning project focuses on leveraging big data and AI to build a comprehensive database on global scam cases, integrating multi-source data from police reports, media coverage, and social media. By employing large language models, the project performs an in-depth analysis of the characteristics of both scam perpetrators and victims to provide a detailed understanding of these cases. Furthermore, the model incorporates theories from communication and psychology to examine the rhetorical strategies and behavioural patterns of scammers. The project also created customized educational materials to inform the public through diverse channels.

Since the project’s inception, China Unicom has disseminated a total of 1.5 billion public welfare text messages, conducted nearly 4,000 anti-scam awareness activities, and issued 30 million targeted warnings, significantly enhancing public awareness and prevention capabilities regarding scams.

This award has attracted significant media coverage. Prominent state media outlets such as People’s Daily, Xinhua News Agency, and Guangming Online have published comprehensive reports and analyses on the awarded cases. These publications underscore the project's innovation and practicality, while also highlighting its significant social impact.