https://www.scmp.com/rss/520796/feed Overseas job scams are rising sharply with many being lured to Southeast Asia and forced into illegal work. Cases involving Hongkongers were first revealed in 2022. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse A surge in arrests of suspected foreign scammers in Sri Lanka has authorities concerned that the island is fast becoming a hub for online crime, following sweeping crackdowns in hotspots Cambodia and Myanmar. Officials say some scam networks forced out of countries in Southeast Asia have simply shifted to new bases, increasingly moving operations to Sri Lanka – an attractive destination due to a relaxed visa regime and reliable, high-speed internet. Since the start of the year, police have... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3353862/next-stop-sri-lanka-how-scammers-fleeing-cambodia-myanmar-found-new-hub?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3353862/next-stop-sri-lanka-how-scammers-fleeing-cambodia-myanmar-found-new-hub?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 17 May 2026 06:37:49 +0000 Aidan Jones Aidan Jones Authorities in Thailand are unravelling a “phantom birth’’ racket involving possibly hundreds of babies – mainly Chinese – falsely registered as Thais by corrupt officials so that their parents can gain land and company ownership rights. Scores of birth certificates have come under scrutiny, with several officials arrested for suspected bribery in a scam that first came to light in northern Chiang Mai but has since clustered around a Bangkok suburb and northeastern Nakhon Ratchasima... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3352440/phantom-birth-scam-spooks-thailand-hundreds-babies-get-fake-citizenship?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3352440/phantom-birth-scam-spooks-thailand-hundreds-babies-get-fake-citizenship?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 05 May 2026 04:07:50 +0000 Fran Lu Fran Lu An ex-Chinese soldier has told how he escaped a Myanmar scam hub after scaling a wall, applying cow dung to mask his scent and subduing an armed guard. Yang Lei, from northeastern China, shared the thrilling story of his escape after he arrived safely back in China. Yang said he led a tour group of 10 people to Thailand, near the Thai-Myanmar border, in mid-March. The local tour guide he hired did not have a legal residence permit and tried to bypass border control, leading the group to bump... https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/trending-china/article/3351824/ex-china-soldier-escapes-myanmar-fraud-centre-scaling-wall-masking-scent-cow-dung?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/trending-china/article/3351824/ex-china-soldier-escapes-myanmar-fraud-centre-scaling-wall-masking-scent-cow-dung?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 05 May 2026 01:00:09 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Police in Thailand have arrested an Indonesian who allegedly defrauded Americans of about US$10 million, Thai authorities say, adding that they will extradite him to the United States. The 33-year-old Indonesian man was arrested on Friday at a luxury resort in the coastal town of Phuket after a tip-off from the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Suriya Poungsombat of the national immigration police said on Sunday. The FBI had informed Thai authorities that the suspect left Dubai and... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3351508/thailand-extradite-indonesian-man-us10-million-scam-targeting-americans?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3351508/thailand-extradite-indonesian-man-us10-million-scam-targeting-americans?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 27 Apr 2026 02:07:04 +0000 Aidan Jones Aidan Jones The US government has imposed sanctions on a Cambodian senator alleging he is at the heart of a sprawling scam network, as the Southeast Asian nation comes under intense pressure – including from China – to eliminate a cybercrime industry worth nearly US$20 billion a year. The US Treasury tagged Senator Kok An, a tycoon with close ties to former leader Hun Sen whose son is now prime minister, and 28 other associates as “specially designated nationals” suspected of controlling “scam compounds... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3351314/us-slaps-sanctions-cambodian-senator-suspected-controlling-scam-centres?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3351314/us-slaps-sanctions-cambodian-senator-suspected-controlling-scam-centres?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 24 Apr 2026 09:19:28 +0000 Bloomberg Bloomberg Thai authorities have seized assets worth 8.3 billion baht (US$260 million) belonging to people behind an alleged money-laundering network linked to transnational cyber scam operations in Cambodia. The latest seizure by the Anti-Money Laundering Office included cash, cars, bank deposits and other securities, bringing the total value of assets confiscated in the widening probe to more than 20 billion baht, officials said at a briefing in Bangkok on Thursday. The network of offenders included... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3349581/thailand-snatches-us260-million-cross-border-scammers-decisive-crackdown?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3349581/thailand-snatches-us260-million-cross-border-scammers-decisive-crackdown?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 10 Apr 2026 01:14:54 +0000 Maria Siow Maria Siow Cambodia’s first law targeting scam centres, passed after mounting international pressure over the country’s massive fraud and trafficking economy, may do little to curb it unless authorities go after the officials and networks that have long enabled it, analysts have warned. Approved by parliament on Friday, the law takes aim at an industry estimated to generate up to US$19 billion annually and to have trafficked as many as 200,000 workers into compounds across the country. Justice Minister... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3349298/cambodia-has-new-law-targeting-scams-it-just-another-paper-reform?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3349298/cambodia-has-new-law-targeting-scams-it-just-another-paper-reform?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 08 Apr 2026 00:00:17 +0000 Bryanna Entwistle Bryanna Entwistle On April 1, amid China’s cybercrime offensive in Southeast Asia, Cambodia extradited to China Li Xiong, former chairman of Huione Group, which had been severed from the US financial system last year for laundering at least US$336 million from cyber scams between 2021 and 2025. The US had also sanctioned Huione’s parent company, Prince Group, and indicted founder Chen Zhi. In January, Cambodia extradited Chen to China, securing the arrest of a man accused of being Cambodia’s biggest scam... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3349051/beat-cambodias-scam-gangs-us-must-work-china-not-blame-it?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3349051/beat-cambodias-scam-gangs-us-must-work-china-not-blame-it?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 07 Apr 2026 21:30:07 +0000 Laura Zhou Laura Zhou The compound is modern with air conditioning in every room. Inside are a medical clinic, massage parlour, and Vietnamese barbecue, Chinese hotpot and halal eateries – a full range of conveniences. Yet the residents are gone – and they appear to have fled in haste. Clothes still hang out to dry, while the stench of rotting food lingers. Located in a secluded area in Kampot province near Cambodia’s border with Vietnam, the site is believed to be a telecoms scam centre. Cambodian authorities said... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3348930/game-whack-mole-how-could-scam-industry-bring-china-and-us-together?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3348930/game-whack-mole-how-could-scam-industry-bring-china-and-us-together?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 03 Apr 2026 22:00:10 +0000 Theodora Yu Theodora Yu A Hongkonger has been rescued from Myanmar and transferred to Thailand after being held captive and forced to do illegal work, in an ordeal he described as a “horror movie”. The Security Bureau on Saturday said its dedicated task force had earlier received a request for help from the 25-year-old man who was trapped in Myanmar. It then liaised with the Chinese embassies in Myanmar and Thailand, the city’s economic and trade office in Bangkok and Thai authorities to launch a joint operation. The... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3348261/horror-movie-hongkonger-rescued-after-forced-labour-ordeal-myanmar?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3348261/horror-movie-hongkonger-rescued-after-forced-labour-ordeal-myanmar?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 28 Mar 2026 12:55:41 +0000 Sam Beltran Sam Beltran For many of those rescued from Southeast Asia’s scam compounds, escape is not the end of the ordeal. They leave behind the locked gates, surveillance and violence, but often return home carrying injuries, trauma and the stigma of having been forced to scam others. Just as difficult is what comes next: trying to explain the experience to the people waiting for them. “Some of them are not able to tell their family members or their community what has happened,” said human rights advocate Andrey... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3346532/southeast-asias-scam-compound-survivors-suffer-stigma-and-silence?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3346532/southeast-asias-scam-compound-survivors-suffer-stigma-and-silence?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 15 Mar 2026 00:00:08 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Meta disabled more than 150,000 accounts and Thai police arrested 21 people in a sweeping international crackdown on Southeast Asian criminal scam centres that targeted people around the world, the social media giant said on Wednesday. The operation was led by Thailand’s Royal Thai Police Anti-Cyber Scam Centre alongside the FBI and the US Justice Department’s Scam Centre Strike Force, with Meta investigators acting on intelligence shared in real time by law enforcement. Online scam networks –... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3346280/meta-disables-150000-accounts-global-sting-southeast-asian-scam-centres?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3346280/meta-disables-150000-accounts-global-sting-southeast-asian-scam-centres?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 12 Mar 2026 01:12:19 +0000 Reuters Reuters Singapore police have announced arrests of three Singaporeans as part of investigations into ⁠alleged transnational scam syndicate Prince Group and its founder and chairman, Chen Zhi, who is in Chinese detention. Police said the three men were arrested between November 2025 and January for their suspected involvement in money laundering and fraud offences in relation to the case. Each offence is punishable by imprisonment of up to 10 years, a fine or both. Assets frozen include three properties,... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3345539/singapore-police-seize-yacht-cars-properties-worth-us390-million-prince-group-probe?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3345539/singapore-police-seize-yacht-cars-properties-worth-us390-million-prince-group-probe?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 05 Mar 2026 06:48:56 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse A Thai court issued arrest warrants for a foreign businessman and his wife accused of investment fraud and money laundering, with one victim allegedly conned out of more than US$30 million, police said. Thailand’s Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) accused Ben Smith, also identified in news reports as South African Benjamin Mauerberger, and his wife, Cattaliya Beevor, of “cross-border investment fraud” dating back to 2016, according to a statement from the bureau on Monday. Media reports have... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3345234/thailand-issues-arrest-warrants-south-african-couple-us30-million-fraud-case?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3345234/thailand-issues-arrest-warrants-south-african-couple-us30-million-fraud-case?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 03 Mar 2026 06:04:45 +0000 Connor Mycroft Connor Mycroft The head of Cambodia’s tourism body is looking to build partnerships with Hong Kong travel agencies as part of a drive to get visitors returning to his country, which has been plagued by safety concerns in recent years. Cambodia Tourism Board CEO Kim Minea also told the South China Morning Post that the government was “determined” to eliminate the notorious scam compounds that had trapped thousands of people, including Hongkongers, in recent years. But Hong Kong tour operators said safety was... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3344979/scam-hit-cambodia-tries-woo-hong-kong-travel-agencies-have-doubts?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3344979/scam-hit-cambodia-tries-woo-hong-kong-travel-agencies-have-doubts?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 28 Feb 2026 10:56:52 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Cambodia’s Prime Minister Hun Manet said on Wednesday that scam centres were destroying his country’s economy and giving the nation a bad name – pushing back on allegations of government connivance. The nation has emerged as a hotspot for crime syndicates running a multibillion-dollar fraud industry that sees scammers lure internet users globally into fake romantic relationships and cryptocurrency investments. “The scam network, what we call the black economy, is destroying our honest economy.... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3344713/cambodias-hun-manet-denies-state-profiting-scam-centre-proceeds?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3344713/cambodias-hun-manet-denies-state-profiting-scam-centre-proceeds?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 26 Feb 2026 07:39:02 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse The UN human rights agency on Friday called on governments to clamp down on scam centres, which have mushroomed in Southeast Asia and where hundreds of thousands of people have been trafficked into forced labour. The agency released a report documenting torture, sexual abuse, forced abortions, food deprivation, solitary confinement and other abuses. “The litany of abuse is staggering and at the same time heartbreaking,” UN Human Rights high commissioner Volker Turk said, calling on governments... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3344166/water-prisons-torture-un-urges-crackdown-brutal-southeast-asia-scam-centres?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3344166/water-prisons-torture-un-urges-crackdown-brutal-southeast-asia-scam-centres?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 20 Feb 2026 11:29:07 +0000 Ivan Franceschini,Charlotte Setijadi,Ling Li Ivan Franceschini,Charlotte Setijadi,Ling Li “I was running from the war, and I got to a war again.” This is how Eric, a young man from central Africa, described how he ended up at a scam compound in Cambodia – and then stranded in the country with no way out. His story is like that of many people deceived into the scamming world. After fleeing conflict in his home country and living in extreme deprivation, Eric – not his real name – received an email offering a US$2,000-per-month job in Cambodia. The recruiter quickly persuaded him to... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3343519/cambodias-scam-factory-survivors-find-no-escape-freedom?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3343519/cambodias-scam-factory-survivors-find-no-escape-freedom?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 15 Feb 2026 04:00:18 +0000 Biman Mukherji Biman Mukherji Human trafficking syndicates operating across Southeast Asia are increasingly laundering their profits through cryptocurrency, a shift that reflects how swiftly these networks are scaling up and exploiting the ease of moving funds across borders, according to findings by a US blockchain analysis firm. Crypto transactions linked to suspected trafficking operations surged 85 per cent in 2025 to hundreds of millions of dollars, Chainalysis said in its 2026 crypto crime report, which tracked illicit... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3343325/more-southeast-asian-human-trafficking-gangs-use-crypto-move-illegal-funds?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3343325/more-southeast-asian-human-trafficking-gangs-use-crypto-move-illegal-funds?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 12 Feb 2026 13:00:09 +0000 Bloomberg Bloomberg Criminals in Southeast Asia are harnessing inexpensive AI tools to target bigger pools of potential victims at high speed, keeping scam centres humming even as governments try to crack down, senior officials at Interpol say. Previously, some scams were easy to spot – from poor quality online ads luring people to work in such centres to the scams themselves, typically designed to make people part with their money through the promise of romance or investment returns. Now, scammers are using large... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3343016/southeast-asias-scam-hubs-are-adept-conning-now-ai-making-it-easier-faster?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3343016/southeast-asias-scam-hubs-are-adept-conning-now-ai-making-it-easier-faster?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 10 Feb 2026 05:22:57 +0000 Pheaktra Neth Pheaktra Neth Transnational online crime is one of the most serious security challenges facing the global community. It drives human trafficking and forced labour, enables large-scale fraud, destabilises economies and erodes public trust in digital financial systems. No country is immune, and no country can confront this threat alone. In Cambodia, we are confronting this challenge directly. Prime Minister Hun Manet has made cyber-enabled crime, including online scams, trafficking and digital fraud, a national... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3342670/cambodia-frontline-battle-against-transnational-scam-syndicates?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3342670/cambodia-frontline-battle-against-transnational-scam-syndicates?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 09 Feb 2026 21:30:08 +0000 Sylvie Zhuang Sylvie Zhuang In less than a week, China conducted a series of executions on a scale rarely seen in recent decades. In all, 16 core members of mafia-like crime syndicates were put to death for a range of crimes, from murder to fraud and human trafficking. While all of the victims in the cases were Chinese nationals, many of the condemned were citizens of Myanmar, a largely Buddhist country not known for executing crime bosses. Yet, China was able to convince authorities in Myanmar to hand over... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3342799/china-executed-series-myanmese-crime-bosses-what-does-it-say-about-its-regional-influence?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3342799/china-executed-series-myanmese-crime-bosses-what-does-it-say-about-its-regional-influence?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 08 Feb 2026 04:00:13 +0000 Reuters Reuters In a Cambodian compound with rooms designed to look like Singaporean and Australian police offices, papers were strewn across desks and floors: the detritus of a fraud factory abandoned in haste. Among the documents were profiles of a 73-year-old Japanese retiree, complete with his phone number and bank account balance, and an American woman who disclosed that she was a victim of domestic abuse. Nearby were scripts to commit love scams and impersonate police, as well as a room set up to resemble... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3342740/cambodian-scam-victims-details-found-inside-compound-reveal-reach-cyber-gangs?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3342740/cambodian-scam-victims-details-found-inside-compound-reveal-reach-cyber-gangs?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 07 Feb 2026 00:52:04 +0000 SCMP’s Asia desk SCMP’s Asia desk A social media warning to transnational scam networks by South Korean President Lee Jae Myung has ignited backlash from Cambodians accusing him of tarnishing their country’s image, prompting the post’s deletion amid diplomatic clarifications. On Friday, Lee shared a report by Korean outlet OhMyNews stating that Chinese organised crime groups in Cambodia were shunning Korean recruits for fear of Seoul’s police raids, as reported by the Khmer Times and The Korea Herald. “If you dare to mess with... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3342219/cambodians-outraged-south-korean-presidents-ruin-you-scam-threat?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3342219/cambodians-outraged-south-korean-presidents-ruin-you-scam-threat?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 03 Feb 2026 07:53:23 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press In the town of O’Smach, along Cambodia’s northern border with Thailand, stands a compound of abandoned buildings that were battered by shelling during recent weeks of armed clashes. The site, now occupied by Thai troops, had served as one of Cambodia’s notorious scam centres, according to Thai officials. A six-storey building, shown to journalists and international observers on Monday during a trip organised by the Thai military, is scattered with documents, equipment and personal belongings,... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3342175/inside-abandoned-cambodian-scam-centre-seized-thai-troops?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3342175/inside-abandoned-cambodian-scam-centre-seized-thai-troops?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 03 Feb 2026 02:51:20 +0000 Sylvie Zhuang Sylvie Zhuang China is looking to escalate measures against cybercriminals operating inside and outside its borders by banning convicted citizens from leaving the country, even after they have completed their sentences. The draft Cybercrime Prevention and Control Law bill comes as China doubles down on working with Southeast Asian countries to crack down on cross-border online fraud. The bill, which aims to impose an exit ban on Chinese people found guilty of cross-border online crimes for up to three years... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3342128/china-moves-boost-cybercrime-penalties-adding-exit-ban-after-sentences?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3342128/china-moves-boost-cybercrime-penalties-adding-exit-ban-after-sentences?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 02 Feb 2026 11:34:58 +0000 Dannie Peng Dannie Peng Cambodia has carried out a massive raid on scammer gangs, detaining more than 2,000 people amid pressure from China to crack down on its online fraud industry. Nearly 1,800 Chinese nationals were among those held, according to the Cambodian interior ministry. A ministry statement said that Cambodian police had conducted a large-scale enforcement operation on Saturday morning at an online fraud compound in Bavet, the largest city in the southeastern province of Svay Rieng, which borders... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3342011/nearly-1800-chinese-among-thousands-held-huge-cambodian-raid-scam-compound?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3342011/nearly-1800-chinese-among-thousands-held-huge-cambodian-raid-scam-compound?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 01 Feb 2026 12:56:35 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Dozens of South Koreans allegedly involved in online scams in Cambodia were returned to South Korea on Friday to face investigations in what was the largest group repatriation of Korean criminal suspects from abroad. The 73 South Korean suspects allegedly scammed fellow Koreans out of 48.6 billion won (US$33 million), according to a South Korean government statement. Upon arrival in South Korea’s Incheon Airport aboard a chartered plane, the suspects – 65 men and eight women – were sent to... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3341017/73-south-koreans-repatriated-cambodia-face-probe-over-online-scams-involvement?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3341017/73-south-koreans-repatriated-cambodia-face-probe-over-online-scams-involvement?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 23 Jan 2026 09:50:08 +0000 Bloomberg Bloomberg Thailand’s ruling party, which is seeking to retain power in next month’s election, has vowed to resolve the country’s conflict with Cambodia and clean up its image as a transit hub for trafficked scam victims. The conservative Bhumjaithai Party, which took power in September, has cast itself as the most suitable defender of Thai sovereignty during the border dispute between the two Southeast Asian countries. Clashes erupted for five days last July and reignited in December before a... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3340252/thai-ruling-party-courts-voters-vowing-end-cambodia-conflict-close-scam-hubs?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3340252/thai-ruling-party-courts-voters-vowing-end-cambodia-conflict-close-scam-hubs?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 17 Jan 2026 07:30:10 +0000 SCMP’s Asia desk SCMP’s Asia desk A Chinese national suspected of running a Cambodia-based scam operation linked to the killing of a South Korean university student has been arrested during a raid on a luxury house in Thailand, authorities said. The suspect, identified by South Korean officials as Han Mo, was captured in Pattaya by a joint Thai–South Korean task force formed after the discovery of the student’s body last year sparked international outrage. “In close cooperation with Thai authorities, we arrested Han Mo, 42, a... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3339767/suspected-scam-boss-linked-south-korean-students-brutal-killing-arrested-thailand?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3339767/suspected-scam-boss-linked-south-korean-students-brutal-killing-arrested-thailand?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 13 Jan 2026 12:05:32 +0000 SCMP Editorial SCMP Editorial Catching transnational criminals and neutralising their networks requires international cooperation. That may have been the lesson of Chen Zhi, whose alleged brazen criminal activities have shocked people and made global headlines. Now, the accused has been caught and extradited by Cambodia to China. Hong Kong authorities have frozen HK$2.75 billion (US$353 million) in assets belonging to Chen and his numerous businesses, but that was just the tip of the iceberg. Chen and his alleged criminal... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/comment/article/3339274/regional-cooperation-led-arrest-alleged-scam-kingpin-chen-zhi?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/comment/article/3339274/regional-cooperation-led-arrest-alleged-scam-kingpin-chen-zhi?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 09 Jan 2026 22:45:08 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse A Cambodian bank founded by accused scam boss Chen Zhi, who has been indicted by the United States over a multibillion-dollar fraud and extradited to China, was ordered liquidated on Thursday, Cambodia’s central bank said. Prince Bank “has been placed under liquidation in accordance with the laws of the Kingdom of Cambodia”, the National Bank of Cambodia (NBC) said in a statement. Prince Bank has been “suspended from providing new banking services, including accepting deposits and providing... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3339137/cambodia-dissolves-accused-scam-tycoon-chen-zhis-prince-bank?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3339137/cambodia-dissolves-accused-scam-tycoon-chen-zhis-prince-bank?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 08 Jan 2026 05:55:46 +0000 Xu Peng Xu Peng Southeast Asia has become “ground zero” for the global online scamming industry, according to the UN, costing victims billions of US dollars each year. Scam operations are run by Chinese crime syndicates from fortified compounds in countries like Myanmar, which has been embroiled in a nationwide armed conflict since 2021. The size of the scam industry has led to sustained security crackdowns in recent years. This has included a number of joint operations involving police forces from multiple... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3338564/how-uneven-borders-fuel-myanmars-vast-and-resilient-scam-economy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3338564/how-uneven-borders-fuel-myanmars-vast-and-resilient-scam-economy?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 04 Jan 2026 05:00:25 +0000 The Star The Star What began as an overseas job opportunity turned into a year-long nightmare for a 26-year-old Malaysian who was forced to work for an online scam syndicate in Myawaddy, Myanmar. The victim, who wanted to be known only as Chew, said he was among 31 Malaysians safely repatriated on December 20 after being rescued from a scam compound during a security raid by Myanmar authorities. Chew, who works as a ground staff member for an airline company at Singapore’s Changi Airport, said his ordeal began on... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3338269/malaysian-forced-scam-hongkongers-recalls-year-long-nightmare-myanmar?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3338269/malaysian-forced-scam-hongkongers-recalls-year-long-nightmare-myanmar?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 31 Dec 2025 06:35:49 +0000 The Star The Star A group of 31 Malaysians, victims of a job scam syndicate in Myawaddy, Myanmar, have been successfully repatriated following a high-level diplomatic operation, the Malay language daily Sinar Harian reported. They arrived at the Bukit Kayu Hitam immigration complex near the Thai-Malaysian border at 6.50pm on Saturday. Upon arrival, they were immediately handed over to the Royal Malaysia Police for further investigation into the syndicate’s operations. While the victims’ identities were confirmed... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3337196/31-malaysians-rescued-myanmar-job-scam-centre-return-home-thai-border?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3337196/31-malaysians-rescued-myanmar-job-scam-centre-return-home-thai-border?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 20 Dec 2025 14:52:45 +0000 Bloomberg Bloomberg Singapore police have arrested a US-sanctioned man who operated a superyacht for the alleged mastermind of one of Asia’s largest scam networks. Nigel Tang Wan Bao Nabil was taken into custody on December 11 after he returned to Singapore, according to a police statement on Thursday. Tang is currently out on bail, according to people familiar with the matter who asked not to be identified for sharing non-public information. Tang was arrested for his “suspected involvement in money laundering... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3336990/singapore-arrests-us-sanctioned-yacht-captain-linked-tycoon-chen-zhi?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3336990/singapore-arrests-us-sanctioned-yacht-captain-linked-tycoon-chen-zhi?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 19 Dec 2025 02:54:05 +0000 Letters Letters Feel strongly about these letters, or any other aspects of the news? Share your views by emailing us your Letter to the Editor at letters@scmp.com or filling in this Google form. Submissions should not exceed 400 words Online scams are a defining transnational threat of our time. Across the world, families, businesses and governments are losing money, data and security to sophisticated cross-border criminal syndicates. In Southeast Asia, these networks have moved rapidly across borders, preying... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/letters/article/3335567/cambodia-confronting-scourge-online-scams-head?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/letters/article/3335567/cambodia-confronting-scourge-online-scams-head?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 09 Dec 2025 03:30:08 +0000 Aidan Jones,Don Pathan Aidan Jones,Don Pathan Taking a short cut through Pattaya’s “Scammer Alley”, a neon maze of bars, hotpot restaurants and 24-hour Korean barbecue joints, taxi driver May shakes her head. The money washing around this Thai resort is so thick with fraud that even her own bank account has been frozen. “They pay with QR codes linked to mule accounts,” she said, referring to bank accounts legally registered under Thai names but secretly controlled by the foreign cybercriminals who have turned this part of Southeast Asia... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3335392/southeast-asias-billion-dollar-scam-industry-refuses-die-everyone-gets-cut?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3335392/southeast-asias-billion-dollar-scam-industry-refuses-die-everyone-gets-cut?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 08 Dec 2025 00:00:13 +0000 The Star The Star A Malaysian businessman escaped from the clutches of a job scam syndicate in Cambodia after his wife lodged a police report and a 6,000 ringgit (US$1,456) ransom was paid, but some 700 others are still trapped there. Many are facing torture in captivity, said Muhammad Syafiq Pubalan Abdullah, 40. The victims aged between 17 and 35 were often beaten up, he said. He, too, was beaten up daily during his first week there. “They would beat the women with a belt. I heard a female victim was raped by... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3335125/escaped-malaysian-reveals-torture-rape-inside-cambodia-job-scam-centre?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3335125/escaped-malaysian-reveals-torture-rape-inside-cambodia-job-scam-centre?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 04 Dec 2025 01:42:15 +0000 Reuters,The Korea Times Reuters,The Korea Times The South Korean government on Thursday imposed sanctions on individuals and companies across Southeast Asia tied to regional crime rings, in response to a surge in crimes targeting Korean nationals. “It is our first unilateral sanction responding to a transnational crime and the single biggest, which shows the government’s willingness to actively respond to online crimes in Southeast Asia,” it said in a statement. The sweeping measures target 15 individuals and 132 entities believed to have... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3334361/south-korea-sanctions-prince-groups-chen-zhi-over-cambodia-scam-rings?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3334361/south-korea-sanctions-prince-groups-chen-zhi-over-cambodia-scam-rings?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 27 Nov 2025 09:10:01 +0000 Bloomberg Bloomberg Singapore authorities raided a car loan company that borrowed from a firm connected to Prince Holding Group, as the net widens on those linked to the alleged scam organisation and its chair, Chen Zhi. The premises of Singapore-registered SRS Auto Holdings were raided by police last week, according to people familiar with the matter, who asked not to be identified disclosing sensitive information. The sole proprietor of SRS, Tan Yew Kiat, was arrested, they said. “The police are investigating... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3333830/singapore-deepens-probe-chen-zhis-alleged-scam-empire-fresh-raid?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3333830/singapore-deepens-probe-chen-zhis-alleged-scam-empire-fresh-raid?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 23 Nov 2025 05:05:39 +0000 Bloomberg,Sam Beltran Bloomberg,Sam Beltran A Philippine court has found a former mayor guilty of human trafficking and sentenced her to life imprisonment over her role in setting up a scam centre, as Manila and other Southeast Asian governments vow to fight transnational criminal syndicates. “Alice [Guo] was convicted and seven others, and it’s life sentence,” Deputy State Prosecutor Olivia Torrevillas told reporters outside the court hall in the capital on Thursday. Guo, who has been detained in a Manila jail since last year, appeared... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3333476/ex-philippine-mayor-alice-guo-gets-life-term-human-trafficking-linked-scam-hub?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3333476/ex-philippine-mayor-alice-guo-gets-life-term-human-trafficking-linked-scam-hub?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 20 Nov 2025 02:39:39 +0000 Sam Beltran Sam Beltran Asean has signed its first region-wide extradition treaty, a move observers see as a long-overdue step to close legal loopholes that have allowed fugitives to slip across borders and evade arrest. Analysts say the Asean Treaty on Extradition will plug a major gap in cooperation by creating uniform rules across a region struggling with cybercrime, human trafficking and online scams that increasingly operate across jurisdictions. Member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations signed... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3333326/asean-unifies-under-single-extradition-treaty-fight-organised-crime?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3333326/asean-unifies-under-single-extradition-treaty-fight-organised-crime?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 19 Nov 2025 02:30:09 +0000 Kyodo Kyodo The chairman of a Cambodia-based conglomerate indicted by US authorities over alleged large-scale investment fraud and money laundering had acquired a luxury property in Tokyo as his residence, Japanese corporate registration documents showed on Monday. Chen Zhi, a Cambodian national of Chinese descent who heads Prince Holding Group, established Prince Group in the Japanese capital in 2022 and is believed to have sought long-term residence status in Japan by starting his own business. The US... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3333180/sanctions-hit-cambodian-tycoon-chen-zhi-owned-luxury-condo-tokyo?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3333180/sanctions-hit-cambodian-tycoon-chen-zhi-owned-luxury-condo-tokyo?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 18 Nov 2025 01:31:43 +0000 Sam Beltran Sam Beltran A US-led crackdown on online scams may hand Southeast Asia an opportunity to combat the scourge, analysts say, as Washington and Beijing find common purpose in dismantling criminal networks that exploit lax governance and human trafficking. The United States launched its “Scam Centre Strike Force” last week to counter cryptocurrency fraud linked to Southeast Asia, estimating that such crimes defraud Americans of nearly US$10 billion a year. Many of these schemes, dubbed “pig butchering” scams,... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3333072/what-us-anti-scam-strike-force-means-southeast-asias-cybercrime-fight?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3333072/what-us-anti-scam-strike-force-means-southeast-asias-cybercrime-fight?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 17 Nov 2025 07:08:47 +0000 Xinmei Shen Xinmei Shen The US and China are ramping up crackdowns on cryptocurrency-related cross-border crimes with a flurry of actions against the suspected ringleaders of scam networks operating in Southeast Asia. In recent years, the border areas between Thailand, Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia have become hubs for online fraud operations, in which syndicates either trick or coerce their targeted victims to invest in bogus schemes and transfer money via bitcoin, ether or stablecoins before these are processed through... https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3332675/us-chinese-authorities-ramp-actions-against-transnational-syndicates-running-crypto-scams?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3332675/us-chinese-authorities-ramp-actions-against-transnational-syndicates-running-crypto-scams?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 13 Nov 2025 14:00:20 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse A Cambodian conglomerate whose founder has had more than US$15 billion of allegedly ill-gotten assets seized said it “categorically rejects” claims he amassed his fortune running an internet scam empire. A frenzy of asset confiscations in Europe, the United States and Asia has targeted Cambodia’s Prince Holding Group – with authorities alleging its founder Chen Zhi was running a transnational criminal organisation. The US Justice Department in October unsealed an indictment against the tycoon,... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3332426/chen-zhis-firm-breaks-silence-denies-cambodian-tycoons-empire-built-scam-money?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3332426/chen-zhis-firm-breaks-silence-denies-cambodian-tycoons-empire-built-scam-money?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 12 Nov 2025 04:42:06 +0000 Bloomberg Bloomberg In 2021, while China-born businessman Chen Zhi was building a multibillion-dollar empire now enmeshed in multiple criminal allegations, staff at his family office in Singapore ran into seemingly minor technical glitches. At first, some of them struggled to connect to the office copier. Days later, the door badges stopped working. After they regained access, staffers quickly realised they had a much bigger problem: millions of dollars had been siphoned from Chen’s bank accounts. While the founder... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3331876/how-accused-kingpin-chen-zhi-was-conned-his-own-executive-singapore?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3331876/how-accused-kingpin-chen-zhi-was-conned-his-own-executive-singapore?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 07 Nov 2025 04:47:26 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Recent raids on one of Myanmar’s most notorious internet scam hubs sparked a recruitment rush as fleeing workers scrambled to enlist at nearby fraud factories, according to experts and insiders. Online scam hubs have mushroomed across Southeast Asia, draining unsuspecting victims of billions of dollars annually in elaborate romance and cryptocurrency cons. Many workers are trafficked into the internet sweatshops, analysts say, but others go willingly to secure attractive salaries. Late October... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3331438/why-many-raided-myanmar-scam-hub-chose-us1400-pay-over-chance-escape?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3331438/why-many-raided-myanmar-scam-hub-chose-us1400-pay-over-chance-escape?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 04 Nov 2025 05:38:18 +0000 Reuters Reuters Singapore police have seized more than S$150 million (US$115.90 million) in assets tied to the Prince Group, a multinational network accused of running vast scam centre operations, the Straits Times newspaper reported on Friday. The assets include six properties as well as bank accounts, securities accounts and cash tied to the network and Cambodian businessman Chen Zhi in relation to money laundering and forgery offences, the police said on Friday. This seizure came after Britain and the United... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3331027/singapore-seizes-us115-million-assets-linked-cambodian-tycoon-chen-zhi?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3331027/singapore-seizes-us115-million-assets-linked-cambodian-tycoon-chen-zhi?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 31 Oct 2025 06:04:10 +0000