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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.
Illustration: Craig Stephens
Cambodia

Opinion | To beat Cambodia’s scam gangs, US must work with China – not blame it

Taking down the deeply rooted, well-connected syndicates would require both Washington’s economic leverage and Beijing’s operational efforts.

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Chinese Basketball Association

Chinese basketballer Guo Ailun reportedly lost 10 million yuan in investing scam

Crime in Hong Kong

Warning issued after university student loses HK$190,000 in internship scam

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China-Asean relations

Cambodia’s high-stakes war on online scam compounds

Cambodia has vowed to stamp out the scam compounds on its soil by month’s end – but perpetrators remain drawn to the potential for huge profits.

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Illustration: Davies Christian
Singapore

50,000 scam calls in 50 minutes drain US$1.2 million from Singapore victims

A Malaysian man hired by a gang, who set up the devices at a flat in the city state, was sentenced to jail for five years and three months.

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Crime in Hong Kong

Hong Kong woman loses HK$2.5 million in online collagen drinks scam

Victim tried to buy collagen drinks for HK$530 but was told the goods were out of stock and was offered refund.

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Crime in Hong Kong

ICAC arrests 10 over using triad links to win HK$160 million renovation project

Operation by ICAC also led police to arrest 32 individuals in raids on premises believed to be controlled by bid-rigging syndicate’s triad elements.

A worker removes scaffolding mesh on a building in Mong Kok. Photo: Jelly Tse
Hong Kong courts

10 defendants remanded in custody in JPEX cryptocurrency fraud case

Hong Kong magistrate rejects bail requests from four men and six women.

Crime in Hong Kong

Police charge another 10 people over HK$1.6 billion JPEX cryptocurrency scandal

Four men and six women charged after police investigations identify abnormal transactions in suspicious accounts linked to case.

Trending in China

How China influencer gets US$14 million revenue monthly selling US$10 beauty items

‘Electric daughter’ live-streamer who sells cosmetics to customers she calls ‘Godmothers’ sparks controversy with face cream pricing scam.

A online influencer in China has successfully marketed cheap beauty products for the elderly by tapping into the concept of filial piety. Photo: SCMP composite/Shutterstock/Douyin
Crime in Hong Kong

13 arrested over HK$113 million laundered using government’s ‘iAM Smart’ app

Nine men and four women accused of using government app to funnel money through victims’ bank accounts.

Mobile phones seized during the police operation. Photo: Handout
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

Many survivors return home to inhabit a murky space between victim and offender, with few support services to help them reintegrate.

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Singapore

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

The warning by Singapore police comes as government official impersonation scams continue to surge in the city state.

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A poster in Singapore’s Raffles Place warning the public of scam threats. Photo: AFP
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
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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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