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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.
Ray Yip appeared for the first time at the High Court on Friday. Photo: Brian Wong
Hong Kong courts

Court extends order against college finance chief in HK$25m embezzlement case

Hong Kong Chu Hai College alleges that Ray Yip disguised illicit transactions as academic and administrative expenses.

Indonesia

Indonesia’s US$8 million visa scandal threatens drive for talent, investors

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Singapore

Singapore uncovers US$18 million scheme to dodge US mattress tariffs, 3 charged

Cambodia

Cambodia’s ‘performative’ crackdowns fail to stop scam centres: Amnesty

The rights group said it identified 86 scam compounds operating across Cambodia as of April, up from 53 a year earlier.

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Cambodian authorities display equipment seized from a scam compound in Phnom Penh on March 11. Photo: EPA
Crime in Hong Kong

Scammers posing as police dupe 42 mainland students in Hong Kong out of millions

One 21-year-old victim was tricked into staging her own ‘abduction’ after being lured to Thailand.

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Singapore

Suspected Filipino scammer reveals how Cambodian ring conned Singaporeans

De Villar Rizalyn Panganiban, accused of taking part in a three-level impersonation scam, gives insights into the gang’s fraud tactics.

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Cambodia

Cambodia jails 6 Chinese men for South Korean student’s torture and murder

The six were reportedly part of a criminal gang linked to the multibillion-dollar ‘pig butchering’ scam industry.

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The inside of a suspected scam centre is seen in a secluded area in Cambodia’s Kampot province in February. Photo: Laura Zhou
Trending in China

‘Using good as bait’: blind China girl held after fake crash clip gets 100 million views

Staged electric bike accident on pavement for the blind leaves visually impaired community fearing an erosion of public trust.

Crime

Editorial | Hong Kong should spare no effort in fight against financial crime

The recent crackdown by law enforcement agencies from 10 jurisdictions on international scams shows the benefit of regional cooperation.

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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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
Trending in China

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

Unemployed ex-factory worker who struggles to define meaning of love stays loyal to wife until the day she dies.

A man dubbed China’s “most devoted fraudster” forged documents to give wife free dialysis treatments; his case resurfaced recently, reigniting national debate over medical insurance and compassion. Photo: Baidu
Malaysia

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

Johor police arrested 35 Chinese nationals for luring victims in Spain with fake high-paying job offers.

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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.

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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The detained individuals are of six nationalities and are accused of running online scam operations or residing in Cambodia illegally, local media report says. Photo: Sohu
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.

Evidence seized during the operation. Photo: Handout
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.

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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Police escort detained Indians and Nepalis suspected of running cyber fraud centres to a court in Galle, Sri Lanka, on Tuesday. Photo: AFP
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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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.

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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Foreign nationals suspected of running an online gambling operation at an office building in Jakarta await transport after being arrested in the Indonesian capital on Sunday. Photo: Reuters
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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Park Wang-yeol at Incheon International Airport on March 25 after being extradited from the Philippines. Photo: Korea Times
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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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.

Nordic nations

Norwegian police arrest Chinese citizen on spying allegations

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

Police prosecutor Thomas Blom. Photo: NTB Scanpix via AP
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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A baby is carried in a back sling adorned with the Chinese character meaning “fortune” in Ban Arunothai, Thailand. Photo: Thomas Bird
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.

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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