China detains more than 1,500 in text spam crackdown

BEIJING (Reuters) - Chinese authorities said on Tuesday they have detained 1,530 people in a crackdown on the use of fake telecommunication base stations to send spam text messages to mobile telephones, a persistent problem in the world's largest cellphone market.

The Ministry of Public Security said that the campaign, which began in February, had resulted in the seizure of more than 2,600 fake base stations and identification of 3,540 suspected criminal acts.