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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 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
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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United States

Sherry Xue jailed for funnelling Chinese investor funds to Trump campaign

Trending in China

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

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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Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet is interviewed in Brussels on Wednesday. Photo: AFP
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.

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.

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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.

Officers raided the law firm in Mong Kok on February 9. Photo: Handout
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.

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.

Scam cases in Hong Kong fell by 2.9 per cent last year compared with the year before. Photo: Shutterstock
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.

People carry their belongings onto a bus as they leave a suspected scam centre compound in Sihanoukville, Cambodia, last month. Photo: AFP
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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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.

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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A China-linked electronics distribution network is accused of laundering more than US$190 million in Brazil over seven months. Photo: Reuters
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.

Tourists near the Louvre Pyramid in Paris. Photo: AFP
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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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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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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Counterfeit US dollar banknotes on the floor inside a scam compound in Samraong, Cambodia’s Oddar Meanchey province. Photo: Reuters
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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Cryptocurrency

Scams and outflows: why China slammed the door on real-world asset tokens

Beijing’s clampdown aims to help safeguard financial security and monetary sovereignty while leaving room for regulated fintech innovation in Hong Kong.

Myanmar

Video | Scam centre members apologise in broadcast confession

Core members of the Myanmar-based telecoms fraud syndicate Ming Zhenzhen and Bai Yingcang apologised for causing harm to Chinese citizens.

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Trending in China

Assistant of successful China influencer steals identities, earns US$158,000 in tips

Identity thief steals fashion content creator’s photographs; wears her pyjamas, stockings to stage lucrative live-streaming sessions.

A Chinese influencer with three million followers has accused her assistant of using her password to access her home, wearing her clothes for photographs and using artificial intelligence to insert her image into her content. Photo: SCMP composite/Shutterstock/RedNote
Trending in China

China women pay for ‘companions’ in role-playing games, spark love debate

Sociologists suggest that many Chinese women view role-playing games as a safe, low-risk opportunity to ‘rehearse romance’.

Cambodia

Scripts, bank details and military rules: Cambodian scam compound secrets

Mostly run by Chinese criminal gangs and staffed partly by trafficking victims, these complexes have proliferated across Indochina.

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Crime in Hong Kong

Hongkongers lost HK$350 million in online shopping scams in first 11 months of 2025

Police say about 63 per cent of cases between January and November last year involved bogus concert ticket sales.

Authorities plan to set up education efforts to educate young people about online shopping scams. Photo: Getty Images
Crime in Hong Kong

Hong Kong man jailed for laundering millions through scam-linked bank accounts

Court hands down stiff sentence to deter growing abuse of personal bank accounts.

The 38-year-old defendant was sentenced to 44 months’ imprisonment after pleading guilty to two counts of money laundering at the District Court in Wan Chai. Photo: Jelly Tse
Crime

Video | Fake police station and uniforms found in Cambodian scam centre

Fake law enforcement uniforms with markings from several jurisdictions, including China and Singapore, were found along with mock police stations apparently used to intimidate victims.

Crime in Hong Kong

Police arrest 4 in Hong Kong over ‘crash-for-cash’ scams

Married couple and two doctors detained on suspicion of conspiracy to defraud.

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