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Scams and swindles

Scams and swindles
The latest news, analysis and opinion on Scams and swindles. In-depth analysis, industry insights and expert opinion.
A woman lost HK$38,000 after a caller posing as legislator Gary Chan persuaded her to make a transfer under false pretences. Photo: Elson Li
Crime in Hong Kong

Scammers impersonate Hong Kong lawmaker to defraud woman of HK$38,000

Legislator Gary Chan condemns ‘despicable’ scam and urges vigilance after fraudsters impersonating him trick woman into transferring money.

Asean

Southeast Asia’s scam compound survivors suffer in stigma and silence

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Singapore

Malaysian scammers in Singapore pivot to cash handover as online curbs tighten

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Cambodia

Video | Cambodia police raid AI-driven scam centre targeting Europe

Cambodia arrested 65 suspects in a Phnom Penh raid on an alleged AI-powered scam centre that targeted European victims with live video calls.

Major General Bun Sosekha, deputy commissioner in charge of the Security Unit Commissariat of Phnom Penh, looks at a seized monitor at a cyberscam operation centre following a raid the night before in Phnom Penh on March 11, 2026. Multilingual scripts, images of young women and timed toilet breaks: a police tour of a newly busted cyberscam operation in Cambodia on March 11 revealed how fraudsters ensnare foreign victims online. (Photo by TANG CHHIN Sothy / AFP) / To go with ‘CAMBODIA-CYBERCRIME-FRAUD,FOCUS’ by Suy SE and Sally JENSEN
Cambodia

150,000 Meta accounts shut down in Southeast Asian scam centre crackdown

Meta has also launched protective tools such as Facebook and WhatsApp alerts for suspicious friend requests and activities.

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Hong Kong courts

Former Hong Kong councillor jailed for laundering phone scam proceeds

Sheep Wong, who said he wanted to repay gambling debts and help cover his father’s medical costs, sentenced to three years and nine months.

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Trending in China

China woman finds uncle faked marriage with her late mother to inherit properties

Official investigation launched as shocked 27-year-old, whose mother died when she was just 9 years old, follows heartbreaking paper trail.

A 27-year-old Chinese woman has revealed online that after her mother died when she was nine, her maternal uncle had his wife impersonate her to marry him and inherit her properties. Photo: SCMP composite/Douyin
Singapore

Singapore police seize US$390 million in assets in Prince Group probe

Three men, including the captain of Chen Zhi’s superyacht, have been arrested in connection with the case, police announced.

Thailand

Thailand seeks to arrest South African couple in US$30 million fraud case

Ben Smith and his wife reportedly tricked their victim into investing millions in stocks, real estate, a private jet and energy businesses.

Artificial intelligence

Opinion | As AI agents advance, Hong Kong should shape the rules now

By leveraging the Hong Kong-Shenzhen innovation hub as a cross-border testing ground, the city can set the standard for responsible AI governance.

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A girl plays with a robot during the World Artificial Intelligence Conference at the Shanghai World Expo and Convention Centre in Shanghai on July 28, 2025. Photo: AFP
United States

Sherry Xue jailed for funnelling Chinese investor funds to Trump campaign

The New York businesswoman was ordered to forfeit US$31.5 million and property at three locations, and to make restitution to her victims.

Sherry Li and Lianbo Wang used a photograph taken at a June 2017 event of Li smiling with US President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump to solicit investment for their theme park project, US prosecutors said. Photo: US Department of Justice
Trending in China

China influencer earns US$7 million from wish candles sale before arrest for fraud

Under-pressure youth seek ‘emotional and spiritual comfort’ by snapping up strange products online; experts warn goods could distort reality.

Cambodia

Cambodia’s Hun Manet admits scam hubs aided property but denies state profit

Scam centres are giving Cambodia a bad reputation, the prime minister says, vowing to wipe them out.

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Brazil

‘K-wave’ scams exploiting Brazil’s superfans trigger police pact

South Korea and Brazil are taking action to protect fans from fraudsters cashing in with phantom merchandise and exploitative ‘oppa’ tours.

BTS fans who flew from Brazil to see the K-pop super act’s members Jungkook and Jimin released from military service pose with flags in Yeoncheon, South Korea, on June 11 last year. Photo: AFP
Trending in China

Self-styled China doctors nabbed over ‘bloodletting therapy’ to ‘remove’ evil energy

Unlicensed ‘medical staff’ sink long needle into man’s arm to extract blood; dump dirty equipment and stained gauze swabs on ‘clinic’ floor.

The Chinese authorities have cracked down on self-proclaimed doctors who have been performing “bloodletting therapy”, claiming it can remove evil energy. Photo: SCMP composite/Weibo/Zhihu
Hong Kong courts

Law firm asks court to block access to files seized in ‘crash-for-cash’ probe

Raymond Lam & Associates says the 66 files contain confidential letters and medical documents belonging to at least 61 clients.

Laos

Water prisons, torture: UN urges crackdown on brutal Southeast Asia scam centres

The agency’s latest report documents torture, sexual abuse, forced abortions, food deprivation and solitary confinement in the centres.

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Hong Kong courts

Hong Kong court orders Christian Zheng Sheng Association to be liquidated

Judge rules in government’s favour after charity failed to repay HK$61 million to public fund in the wake of a fraud scandal in 2024.

The former premises of Christian Zheng Sheng College on Lantau Island. Photo: K. Y. Cheng
Crime in Hong Kong

Editorial | Hong Kong police’s fight against scams needs more public support

Scams might be down in Hong Kong but they still comprise nearly half of all crimes. Vigilance and community support are vital.

Cambodia

Opinion | Cambodia’s scam factory survivors find no escape in freedom

A government crackdown freed thousands, but with no passports or support, survivors have simply traded captivity for destitution.

Trending in China

Public fury as China mental hospitals recruit fake patients for insurance scam

‘Healthy’ so-called patients lured into psychiatric facilities with promise of long, cheap stay; receive little treatment, face ‘beatings’.

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A number of psychiatric hospitals in central China have been exposed for luring healthy people to pose as mental patients in a scheme to defraud medical insurance. Photo: SCMP composite/Weibo/Douyin
Crime in Hong Kong

‘Unforgivable’: police chief slams lawyer, doctors linked to crash-for-cash scams

‘Knowledgeable professionals should not do such immoral and unethical things,’ Commissioner of Police Joe Chow says.

Police raid a lawyer’s office in connection with so-called crash-for-cash scams. Photo: Handout
China-Latin America relations

Brazil breaks up China-linked US$190m money-laundering ring tied to crime gang

Prosecutors claim Chinese-run distribution network concealed revenue, evaded tax obligations and fostered money laundering of drug proceeds.

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France

9 arrested over Louvre ticket fraud scheme involving Chinese tourists

The world-famous museum says it lost nearly US$12 million over the past decade as the result of tickets being reused for different visitors.

Human trafficking

More Southeast Asian human trafficking gangs use crypto to move illegal funds

The transactions are linked to activities such as forced labour recruited by scammers and international escort services, a report says.

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Soldiers raid the KK Park online scam centre in Myawaddy township, Karen state, Myanmar, last year. Photo: AP
Crime in China

China’s Nanjing Museum scandal probe uncovers historic mismanagement, corruption

Museum admits to ‘systemic problems’, pledges reform after ‘severe’ damage caused to image of cultural and museum industry.

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Investigators looking into practices at Nanjing Museum in eastern Jiangsu province carried out 1,100 interviews and reviewed 65,000 archival documents. Photo: CFOTO/Future Publishing via Getty Images
Southeast Asia forced-labour scams

Easier, faster, cheaper: how AI is revolutionising Southeast Asia’s scam hubs

Technology is enabling gangs to target more victims efficiently and expand operations as governments struggle to tackle evolving cybercrime.

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Cambodia

Opinion | Cambodia is in a frontline battle against transnational scam syndicates

Targeted due to geography, Cambodia is on the front foot now, dismantling scam compounds, rescuing victims and prosecuting criminals.

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