BEIJING, March 9 (Xinhua) -- Chinese police solved about 78,000 telecom and online scam cases in 2017, up 55.2 percent compared with the previous year, the Ministry of Public Security (MPS) announced Friday.

A total of 537,000 cases were placed on file for investigation by police nationwide in 2017, a decrease of 6.1 percent from 2016, amid a high-profile crackdown on telecom and online fraud.

The ministry said that losses of 300 million yuan (47.3 million U.S. dollars) were retrieved and given back to victims in 2017.

Chinese police have taken a tough stance against telecom and online fraud both inside and outside the country, effectively curbing the crime and safeguarding the interests of the people, the MPS said.