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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.
last updated:
9 September, 2024
Viral footage believed to show the seller includes recordings of her being confronted by the alleged victim. Photo: Handout
Crime in Hong Kong

Hong Kong woman arrested over selling fake Andy Lau concert ticket for HK$7,500

Viral footage of moments before suspect’s arrest show her being confronted by alleged victim, leading to chase to prevent her departure.

Hong Kong politics

Hong Kong sends task force to Thailand to look into cases of trapped residents

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Accidents and personal safety

Hong Kong woman, 24, back home after suspected abduction in Southeast Asia

China-Asean relations

Chinese embassies warn of ‘high-pay’ scams after actor’s kidnapping in Thailand

Alert follows case of Wang Xing, who was rescued from a compound after being lured to a border town by human traffickers.

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Wang Xing said his captors had shaved his head. Photo: AP
Vietnam

Asian Angle | Vietnam’s private banking sector has a ‘chronic disease’. Can it be treated?

Truong My Lan’s death sentence serves as a warning, but Vietnam needs structural reforms to address the sector’s vulnerabilities.

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Asia travel

Chinese cancel Thai holidays as actor Wang Xing’s kidnapping fuels safety fears

Thailand is expected to take a tourism and economic hit from Lunar New Year trip cancellations.

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Crime

Chinese actor Wang Xing says fraud gang trafficked him to Myanmar scam compound

Actor who went missing near Thailand-Myanmar border confirms he fell victim to human trafficking scheme disguised as film casting call.

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Chinese actor Wang Xing (right) speaks with Thai police officers in Mae Sot district, Thailand on Tuesday after being rescued from a scam compound in Myanmar. Photo: The Royal Thai Police via AP
Thailand

Missing Chinese actor found in Myanmar

Wang Xing, also known as Xing Xing, became unreachable after he was reportedly seen at the Thai-Myanmar border following his arrival in Bangkok early on Friday

Singapore

Singapore introduces new law to freeze bank accounts of scam victims

The measure, which can be imposed for up to 30 days, aims to protect victims from transferring funds to scammers.

Crime

Chinese actor Wang Xing rescued after going missing in Thailand

Wang Xing, aka Xing Xing, became unreachable after he was taken to the Thai-Myanmar border following his arrival in Bangkok early on Friday.

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Wang Xing’s disappearance caught public attention after his girlfriend posted on social media that she had lost contact with him near the Myanmar border. Photo: Handout
The Philippines

Pogos ‘in stealth mode’ spark concerns about Philippine national security

Smaller breakaway networks could still ‘co-opt the country’s systems’ to continue underground and influence local politics, analysts warn.

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Security officers stand guard at the gates of a closed online gambling building, the largest Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (Pogo) hub in the country, in the town of Kawit, Cavite province, the Philippines, on December 29, 2024. Photo: EPA-EFE
Crime

Chinese actor Wang Xing reported missing in Thailand near scam hub

Social media user claiming to be girlfriend of actor known as Xing Xing says his last known location was near Myanmar border city.

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Hong Kong police

How Hong Kong deepfake scam group taught recruits to pass as rich, single women

Learning Japanese, playing golf and tasting red wine worth more than HK$100,000 a bottle among topics for conversation taught to recruits.

Crime in Hong Kong

Hong Kong police arrest 31 over deepfakes used to scam victims in Singapore, Malaysia

Syndicate used photos of attractive people found online and deepfake technology to trick victims out of more than HK$34 million in Singapore, Malaysia and Taiwan.

Evidence seized during the operation last week. Photo: Edmond So
Crime in Hong Kong

5 arrested over sale of fake tickets for Hong Kong star Andy Lau’s concerts

Victims bought counterfeit tickets through online platforms or social media and paid by cash or bank transfer.

Posters of the Andy Lau concert at the Hong Kong Coliseum in Hung Hom. Photo: Edmond So
Japan

Sky-high swindlers: passengers warned as in-flight thefts soar in Japan

The thefts onboard airlines flying into and out of Narita International Airport could be linked to crime syndicates, analysts say.

The Philippines

Cambodia pardons 13 Philippine mothers for surrogacy scheme

Surrogacy is banned in Cambodia, and the women, convicted of attempted human trafficking, were among 24 foreign women detained in September.

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Crime in Hong Kong

Crime in Hong Kong: Post looks back on 2024’s biggest arrests, scams and heists

City witnessed string of incidents that shocked the public, from the emergence of a new narcotic to a HK$200 million deepfake scam.

Hong Kong witnessed a spate of crime that shocked the public. Photo: Eugene Lee
Crime in Hong Kong

Scammers sending emails impersonating Hong Kong police chief

Emails bearing city’s emblem and police logo claim recipient has been issued with court order after visiting child porn websites.

Trending in China

Taiwan son scams online scammers to retrieve US$21,000 his father lost to crooks

Ingenious son devises plan involving him playing multiple roles to thwart scammers, retrieves money they took from his father.

Hong Kong economy

From gym closures to rotten tofu, Hong Kong consumers faced a year of scams

Residents were beset by shoddy deals and blatant cons in 2024, including rogue beauty parlours and a furore over Lionel Messi.

Physical gym abruptly announced its closure in September, sparking thousands of complaints from customers. Photo: Elson Li
Crime in Hong Kong

124 suspects arrested in Hong Kong for allegedly lending accounts to fraudsters

Arrestees suspected to be connected with 128 scam cases, involving total losses of HK$68.69 million, according to police.

Inspector Victoria Ma of the Yuen Long police district’s technology and financial crime squad. Photo: Handout
Trending in China

China wife sets sex worker trap for fake husband in bid to pocket bride price

Fake husband becomes suspicious, calls police, after new ‘wife’ refuses sex then urges him to visit prostitute instead in elaborate scam.

Crime in Hong Kong

Hong Kong fans of Jay Chou swindled out of HK$180,000 from fake tickets

‘King of Mandopop’ will perform at Kai Tak Sports Park next year, as police warn fans to only purchase through official channels.

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Malaysia 1MDB scandal

Malaysia’s 1MDB sues ‘dishonest’ Amicorp for US$1 billion for alleged fraud

The claim alleges Hong Kong-headquartered Amicorp of creating shell companies and enabling the misappropriation of funds between 2009 and 2014.

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The 1MDB logo is seen on a billboard at the funds flagship Tun Razak Exchange under-development site in Kuala Lumpur. Photo: AFP
Thailand

Thai court delivers death penalty, life sentences for German man’s murder

A Thai of Pakistani descent received the death sentence while two Germans were sentenced to life imprisonment.

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Night scene of a red light district in south Pattaya in Chonburi province. A Thai man was sentenced to death and two Germans received life imprisonments, for the murder of a German property agent near the resort town of Pattaya. Photo: AP
Crime in Hong Kong

154 arrested in Hong Kong as police crack down on internet, phone scammers

The 214 victims, aged between 17 and 78, suffered losses of HK$289 million, police say.

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Hong Kong economy

Letters | Why Southeast Asia is a better bet for Hong Kong tourism

Readers discuss the lacklustre recovery in tourism, why Hongkongers are being lured to KK Park in Myanmar, and the battle for the Global South.

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