Three top judicial organs issued a guideline on Wednesday to clarify the application of the law in extortion cases involving deliberately fabricated accidents or similar scenarios. The guideline was issued by the Ministry of Public Security, the Supreme People's Court and the Supreme People's Procuratorate.

最高人民法院、最高人民检察院、公安部10月14日联合发布指导意见，明确了故意制造事故或类似情形的敲诈勒索案件的法律适用。

For the first time, authorities have defined the pengci scam, in which people pretend they have been harmed by another party and then ask that party for money or property as compensation. 

这是有关部门首次对"碰瓷"行为作出准确界定。"碰瓷"是指行为人假装被另一方所害，向其索赔财物的行为。

The guideline also stipulates that whoever deliberately causes a traffic accident and blackmails the victim utilizing the victim's violation of provisions on road passage, which meets the relating provisions of the Criminal Law, shall be punished as the crime of extortion by blackmail. 

"碰瓷"团伙若故意制造交通事故进而利用被害人违反道路通行规定等相要挟的，符合刑法有关规定的，以敲诈勒索罪定罪处罚。