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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.
US prosecutors said co-conspirators operating across the US, Mexico, Latin America and China allegedly laundered proceeds from trafficking narcotics including fentanyl and cocaine. Photo: Reuters
US-China relations

Two Chinese nationals charged in US drug cartel money-laundering case

Prosecutors say pair used mirror transfers, encrypted apps and trade schemes to launder cartel drug profits globally.

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Trending in China

China ‘most devoted fraudster’ fakes hospital records to give wife free dialysis

Malaysia

Chinese gang caught using AI in Malaysia bungalow for Spanish job scam

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Crime in Hong Kong

Hong Kong privacy watchdog warns of fake retailer compensation call scam

Customers duped by fraudsters posing as Built-in Pro staff using personal data, with one victim losing HK$17,000.

Fraudsters have been impersonating staff of electrical store Built-in Pro offering compensation or product replacements. Photo: Handout
Chen Zhi

Cambodia raids sites linked to Chen Zhi, Chinese tycoon accused of scam empire

82 Chinese nationals among 104 people detained in Phnom Penh raids as governments around the world crack down on Chen’s scam business.

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Crime in Hong Kong

Hong Kong hardest hit as cross-border scam crackdown uncovers US$752m losses

Police operation across 10 jurisdictions finds city accounts for US$319 million, while one Singaporean firm defrauded of US$36 million.

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Crime in Hong Kong

Letters | Hong Kong must strengthen its banking system against scams

Readers call for stronger systemic defences as technology evolves, and no let-up in efforts to combat illegal betting ahead of the World Cup.

As an international financial centre, Hong Kong must ensure its financial security standards are world-class. Photo: Jelly Tse
Singapore

Singapore AI Zoom scam: how a victim lost US$3.8 million to a fake PM Wong

Police have obtained footage of the video conference linked to the sophisticated scam impersonating Wong, President Tharman and other officials.

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Sri Lanka

The great scam migration: fraudsters fleeing Cambodia find a new hub

Criminal gangs are setting up in rented spaces ranging from luxury villas to office complexes, thanks to cheap visas and fast internet.

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US-China relations

Chinese-American found guilty in New York ‘secret police station’ case

Lu ‘Harry’ Jianwang convicted of acting as an unauthorised Chinese agent and obstruction of justice in closely watched trial.

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Lu Jianwang (left) and defence lawyer John Carman outside federal court in Brooklyn, New York, on Wednesday moments after the verdict was read. Photo: Mark Magnier
Hong Kong society

Editorial | Tightened rules for Hong Kong’s money lenders will protect helpers

Moves to regulate the moneylender sector must be accompanied by strengthening law enforcement and stepping up education efforts.

The Asian Migrants Coordinating Body holds a protest to call for a living wage and better working conditions for migrant domestic workers in Hong Kong, in front of the Central Government Offices, on May 1. Photo: Nora Tam
Indonesia

Police raids reveal Indonesia as new hub for scam, gambling syndicates

Hundreds of foreigners have been arrested in Indonesia recently following crackdowns against crime groups in Cambodia and Myanmar.

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The Philippines

Remote control: the inmates running crime empires from Philippine prison

What do a South Korean drug ring and a Japanese robbery syndicate have in common? They were both allegedly run from Philippine prison cells.

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Indonesia

321 foreigners arrested in Indonesia online gambling crackdown

The foreigners, mainly from Vietnam, were arrested near Jakarta’s Chinatown section that investigators described as a hub for more than 70 online gambling websites.

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Suspected online gambling operators (in orange) walk towards buses for transfer after a police raid at the Hayam Wuruk Plaza office building in Jakarta on Sunday. Photo: AFP
South Korea

Video | Asia’s new crime wave is emerging from behind bars

Armed with a smartphone, a new breed of remote criminal operates from Southeast Asia’s prisons.

How Japanese and Korean kingpins are running international gangs from inside Philippine prisons
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Nordic nations

Norwegian police arrest Chinese citizen on spying allegations

Authorities allege the woman had a suspected role in spying on Norwegian satellite data.

Thailand

‘Phantom birth’ scam spooks Thailand as hundreds of babies get fake citizenship

Police believe that some Chinese cyber scammers are using these false registrations to launder money through firms they can fully control.

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Trending in China

Ex-China soldier flees Myanmar scam centre, scales wall, masks scent with cow dung

Former infantryman confounds compound bosses with military skills, flees over mountains finally making safety of Chinese embassy.

A former Chinese soldier escaped from a telecom fraud centre in Myanmar by scaling a six-metre wall and masking his scent with cow dung. Photo: SCMP composite/Shutterstock/Baidu
Crime in Hong Kong

Elderly scam victims lose HK$850,000 on average, but ones who know finance lose more

Cases involving older Hongkongers rose by 17 per cent in first quarter, with police saying those with investment history are more vulnerable.

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Crime in Hong Kong

She answered an advert for a part-time helper. Then she lost HK$2.25 million

Hong Kong woman, 25, describes how her job search led her to sign documents helping ‘lawyer’ for a ‘big shot’ and take out string of loans.

Crime in Hong Kong

Opinion | My finance expertise was no defence against online scammers

Perpetrators of online fraud are enabled by new technology and connectivity, meaning everyone must be on their guard.

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Cambodian authorities display equipment at an alleged online scam operation at a condominium in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, on March 11. Photo: EPA
The Philippines

Can Philippines’ new anti-Pogo playbook rein in fast-moving scam hubs?

The new inter-agency rules aim to give investigators a framework tailored to Pogo-linked crime and support a coordinated response.

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A closed Philippine online gaming operator (Pogo) hub inside the former Island Cove resort in Kawit, Cavite province in December 2024. Photo: AFP
Malaysia

Video | Why Malaysian-Indians are less likely to be scammed

Arrested scammers told police in Penang that Malaysian-Indians were toughest to deceive.

Crime in Hong Kong

Hong Kong Law Society closes firm linked to crash-for-cash scam

Society’s council intervenes in the practice of Raymond Lam & Associates, which will cease operations with immediate effect.

Malaysia

‘Barrage of questions’: Malaysian Indians least likely to be scammed, police say

Despite all races being equally targeted, ethnic Indians lost the least because they would keep questioning until the scammers gave up.

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Little India in Kuala Lumpur. Ethnic Indians account for about 7 per cent of Malaysia’s population. Photo: Shutterstock
Hong Kong courts

Brokerage clerk admits helping syndicate defraud employer of HK$31 million

Wong Pui-shan approved withdrawals from company accounts after being contacted by man claiming she was subject of Beijing national security office probe.

Hong Kong’s High Court building in Admiralty. Photo: Sun Yeung
Thailand

Thailand to extradite Indonesian man in US$10 million scam targeting Americans

The suspect allegedly hired models to lure targets into phoney investment schemes over video calls, dating apps and social media.

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Crime in Hong Kong

Editorial | Gold scams are a reminder that crime prevention must keep up

The city’s anti-scam work must continue to evolve as scammers exploit new vulnerabilities with AI and seemingly limitless imagination.

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