China's Ministry of Information Industry has published a notice on its official website, reminding consumers not to call back telephone numbers prefixed with 950 or 96.

MII said that some telephone information service providers are luring consumers to call back their hotlines to make a profit, so consumers should be careful not to call back such telephone numbers prefixed with 950 or 96 that are used to lure consumers to pay the high information fee. Calls made through numbers with the prefix of 950 or 96 usually ring only once, so consumers believe they have missed a call and call back those numbers. However when they make that call, they are charged a high fee, often without warning.

Xinhuanet.com reported that some of these illegal information service providers are even publicly recruiting agents online, claiming that the agents can easily make money so long as they connect a piece of equipment with their telephone.