Beijing News: Shenzhou Mission, Scams & WeChat Pay in Thailand
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Taikonauts Set Off to Tiangong
Last night, Oct 31, at 11.44pm, the Shenzhou-21 launched from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China with three taikonauts aboard, headed to the Tiangong space station. The mission is the sixth manned mission in Tiangong’s application and development phase and the 37th mission in China’s manned space program.
The main objectives of the mission are to complete in-orbit crew rotation with the Shenzhou-20 crew and to remain at the space station for about six months to carry out a variety of scientific tasks, such as the installation of space debris protection devices, the installation and recovery of external payloads and equipment,and conduct science education and public welfare activities. The taikonauts will also conduct an experiment raising mice in orbit to study the effects of space and microgravity on the mice’s behavior and physiological development.
Identified missions for next year include the Tianzhou-10 cargo spacecraft, the Shenzhou-22 and Shenzhou-23 manned spaceflight missions, and the Mengzhou-1 manned space mission. The Mengzhou spacecraft is intended mainly for manned lunar exploration. China remains committed to and on track with its goal of putting Chinese people on the moon before 2030.
Mobile Text Scams Trick Phone Users
Authorities are reminding the public to pay close attention to the operator numbers of mobile texts they receive after a number of people have fallen victim to mobile text scams. These scams tend to work by substituting difficult-to-distinguish characters, utilizing partially correct and legitimate operator number components, taking advantage of the public’s ignorance on operator number origins and functions and perpetrating impersonation and fishing scams.
The following are some numbers to be on alert with:
- Texts using “l0086” instead of “10086”
In this scam, a scammer impersonates the normal and legitimate 10086 service by using a “l” (lowercase “L”) instead of the number “1” in messages sent to unsuspecting users. Then, when user clicks on links purporting to be legitimate “10086” links, the scammers are able to access the user’s information or trick them into giving up important information.
- Numbers beginning with “400”
Phone numbers beginning with 400 are dedicated to enterprises, and normal and legitimate domestic enterprises use them for customer service calls and after-sales service calls. However, calls beginning with “400” are really only used to answer. Formal businesses generally do not make calls with this number. If you receive this type of call, it is best not to answer.
- Numbers beginning with “00” or “+”
According to the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, when foreign telephones enter China's communications network, the international prefix “00” must be added before the main call number (some mobile phones translate “00” to “+”), and it is strictly prohibited to delete this prefix in the transmission process. If you receive a call from such a number, first consider whether there might be overseas friends or relatives trying to contact you via a mobile phone call. If not, this kind of call is likely related to overseas fraud.
- Numbers beginning with “95”
Numbers beginning with “95” that are generally five or six digits in length are customer service numbers used by large and influential enterprises in the banking, securities, insurance, aviation, logistics (express delivery), oil, railway and power industries, and can be answered with confidence.
If you receive a call or text from a number starting with “95” but containing more than six digits, try not to answer these calls as they are possibly illegitimate. The scammers usually bundle the “95” numeric component bought or leased with bots, make thousands of calls in a day, casting a wide net looking for victims. They then screen out key targets and use human customer service to conduct targeted scams.
- Numbers beginning with “1068” and “1069”
Text messages beginning with the “1068” and “1069” codes are non-operational third-party platforms for text messaging services across provinces or nationwide, and they provide text messaging platform services to other enterprises without charging end users. However, some enterprises with qualifications have violated the law by selling and subcontracting numbers, which are eventually used by scammers to commit fraud. If you receive a text message that begins with such a number, be very cautious about engaging with, clicking on any links or responding.
In many cases, links in scam texts will take users to web interfaces that prompt users to enter their personal information. The scammers can then see and collect the information and use it to access their victims’ bank accounts or other sensitive accounts, causing financial or other harm.
Scammers may also impersonate workers, make phone calls to promote points-for-money exchange activities and gifts, and ask for verification codes and passwords. They may also falsely claim to be running a points reward campaign, ask for various types of verifying information and scam people out of their money.
For expat residents, who may not engage with Chinese-language text messages or phone calls as often as locals, or who may possess varying degrees of Chinese language ability, these scams may not seem to present as serious a risk. However, foreigners should still take care with mobile communication via calls or text and on other platforms where and when the exchange of sensitive information is possible.
WeChat Pay Available in Thailand
Paying abroad may have just gotten a bit easier as WeChat partners with the operator of Thailand’s PromptPay platform to enable travelers to use PromptPay in Thailand. Now, visitors can scan PromptPay codes with WeChat at participating establishments and pay directly in RMB, without needing to convert to baht.
WeChat already had a payment presence in Thailand, but it was largely limited to businesses such as airports and hotels, metro systems, some major shopping locations and a few smaller, local establishments. This new partnership opens up payment access to many more merchants across the country.
PromptPay is one of the most popular payment platforms in Thailand, set up in 2016 as an interbank transfer application for the Bank of Thailand. The ability to connect to this system by way of WeChat is convenient not only from the perspective of reducing hassle for tourists but also because Thailand, like many locations around the world, is seeing a rise of cashless payments in everyday life.
At present, it is still unclear whether this service is available to expats in China who travel to Thailand, and whether the payment option is available through the international version of WeChat as well as Weixin. Regardless, the move in the direction of convenience is certainly a welcome development.
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Images: Unsplash, Beijing Fabu, Weixin Pai
