From elderly people lured into costly "health treatments" to students tricked by fake game deals and college admission promises, telecom and online fraud is increasingly targeting vulnerable groups by exploiting the needs and anxieties of different age groups, police officials warned at a news conference on Friday.

Li Xiaoyan, an official with the criminal investigation corps of the Beijing Public Security Bureau, said telecom and online fraud cases involving people aged 60 and above in Beijing fell sharply in the first five months of this year.

From January to May, the number of such cases and related financial losses dropped 78.4 percent and 77.9 percent year-on-year, respectively, she said.

However, scams targeting older people remain a key concern, with common types including fake elderly care investment schemes, overpriced health products and impersonation scams. Fraudsters often use high-return investments, senior apartments, wellness projects, fake expert consultations, or health lectures as bait, or impersonate police, medical insurance, social security staff, children, or relatives to trick elderly victims into transferring money.

Li said older people are often targeted because they care about health and elderly care, but may be less familiar with online fraud tactics, while those living alone can be more vulnerable to emotional manipulation.

Beijing police recently busted a gang that allegedly targeted older residents through 20 stores in Chaoyang, Shunyi, Pinggu and Miyun districts, detaining 31 suspects.

Police said store employees attracted older customers with free massages or low-price foot therapy coupons, then introduced so-called experts to offer free health checks. The suspects allegedly fabricated illnesses and induced victims to pay large sums for treatments such as intestinal cleansing and detox therapy.

Each treatment costs between 10,000 yuan ($1,475) and 20,000 yuan. More than 400 elderly people were cheated, with the total amount involved exceeding 30 million yuan, police said.

He Enbin, head of the anti-fraud detachment of the Shanghai Public Security Bureau's criminal investigation corps, said minors and students have become major targets of telecom and online fraud.

In Shanghai, victims under the age of 25 account for 15 percent of all telecom fraud cases, and the youngest victim was only 7 years old, He said.

Common scams targeting primary and middle school students include fake online game transactions, celebrity fan-related scams and inducements to tip in livestreaming rooms. University students are more often targeted by fake game deals, fake concert ticket sales, rebate scams and online dating scams. Overseas students are frequently targeted by impersonation of enforcement officials, virtual kidnapping and illegal currency exchange scams.

He also warned families to be alert to scams involving college admission after the national college entrance examination, or gaokao.

Such scams often involve false claims of "special admission channels", "internal quotas", "extra points" or "guaranteed admission", with criminals telling candidates and parents that they can secure places at desirable universities for a fee.

Shanghai police recently cracked a college admission fraud case involving false promises of helping students enter prestigious universities as members of "high-level sports teams". Four suspects were caught, and police identified 22 victim families nationwide, with the case involving more than 9 million yuan. The case has been transferred to the procuratorial authorities for review and prosecution.