BEIJING -- China saw fewer cases involving fraudulent activities via telecommunication or the internet in the months of June, July and August compared to the same three months last year, the Ministry of Public Security said on Monday.

The continuous drop in case numbers has mainly been attributed to a national campaign against such illegal activities launched last October, according to the ministry.

A total of six nationwide operations have been carried out to crack down on criminal gangs, and to eliminate SIM and bank cards used for fraudulent purposes.

The operations have blocked the channels used by gangs to trade and send SIM and bank cards, which has significantly increased the cost of committing fraud and has essentially reined in the number of such criminal cases.

Chinese police have dismantled 27,000 gangs involved in SIM or bank card fraud since last October.

Some 450,000 individuals suspected of being involved in these illegal activities have been punished, as well as over 1,000 such individuals who worked for financial institutions and telecommunication companies, the ministry said.