A new scam is exploiting a recently announced national program offering cash subsidies for children under age 3, China Central Television reported.

The program, unveiled on July 28, provides annual cash payments of 3,600 yuan ($501) for each legitimate child under 3, retroactive to Jan 1. According to a work plan, provinces and regions will begin opening applications for the subsidies in late August, with full access to applications available nationwide by Aug 31.

However, fraudsters have been impersonating officials from the National Health Commission and the Ministry of Finance, sending fake notifications with phishing links via text message and social media to deceive individuals, CCTV reported.

In one case, a father eligible for the program, surnamed Wang from Zhaotong, Yunnan province, received a message in his WeChat work group claiming he could apply for the subsidy. The message included a link that, when clicked on, instructed him to enter personal information, including his name, ID number, bank details and password.

The link also requested his bank account balance and verification code. Initially trusting the message due to its appearance in a work context, Wang became suspicious when he was notified that his account had been linked to Cloud QuickPass, the mobile payment service of Union-Pay, on someone else's device.

He contacted the police, who identified the link as a scam. Wang reported his bank card as lost and warned colleagues about the fraudulent link to prevent further potential victims.

Li Wenjuan, a police officer from a local criminal investigation team, advised eligible applicants to verify information sources.

"This type of fraud mainly exploits loopholes during the policy transition period. Online application channels for the subsidy are not yet open nationwide. Any mention of limited-time offers or expiration is a scam," she told CCTV.

"Official information is announced through government platforms. Verify the domain; government websites typically have a gov.cn suffix. Never provide personal details such as names, ID numbers, bank account information, passwords or verification codes. Avoid enabling screen sharing or facial recognition," she was quoted as saying.

Victims should immediately freeze bank accounts, retain evidence and report incidents to the police or the anti-fraud hotline"96110", CCTV said.

lihongyang@chinadaily.com.cn