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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.
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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.

Trending in China

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

Trending in China

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

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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A Thai solider inspects a workstation inside a scam centre in O’Smach, Cambodia, on Monday. Photo: AP
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.

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.

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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.

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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.

Crime in Hong Kong

Video | Hongkongers scammed out of millions on Carousell

Police say more than 110 cases of scams connected to popular online shopping platform took place over a week-long period in late January.

South Korea

‘Ruin you’: Cambodians outraged by South Korean president’s anti-scam threat

Critics said Lee Jae Myung should have posted in Chinese, not Khmer, as his warning to foreign syndicates sparked anger across Cambodia.

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung and Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet shake hands during a summit in Kuala Lumpur on October 25, 2025. Photo: Korea Times
Myanmar

Video | 4 more telecoms fraud gang members executed in China

Members of the Bai family syndicate were convicted of telecoms fraud, murder and drug trafficking.

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Cambodia

Inside an abandoned Cambodian scam centre seized by Thai troops

Fake law enforcement uniforms from nations including China and Singapore were found alongside mock police sets used to intimidate victims.

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Crime in China

China moves to boost cybercrime penalties by adding exit ban after sentences

Amid cross-border crackdown, draft Cybercrime Prevention and Control Law bill lists exit bans among tools to punish cybercriminals.

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Crime in Hong Kong

Hong Kong police arrest hundreds in HK$620 million fraud, laundering crackdown

Operations target misuse of bank accounts, romance scams and money laundering through virtual currencies.

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Police seized about HK$620 million in suspected criminal proceeds. Photo: Jelly Tse
Indonesia

Interpol issues red notice for Indonesian oil tycoon in US$285 million scandal

Mohammad Riza Chalid is wanted in Indonesia for his alleged involvement in corruption at state-owned oil company Pertamina.

Mohammad Riza Chalid is wanted in Indonesia for alleged corruption. Photo: Handout
China-Asean relations

Nearly 1,800 Chinese among thousands held as Cambodian police raid scam compound

Action ‘truly reflects’ that Cambodian government will never loosen crackdowns on online scammers, interior ministry spokesman says.

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Crime in Hong Kong

Hong Kong road accident scam reports double to over 70 in a week: Chris Tang

Some incidents involved minor bumps or even no collision, with the largest claim exceeding HK$800,000, police say.

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Crime in Hong Kong

33 arrested over HK$150 million fraud involving Hong Kong tech grant schemes

ICAC says suspects are 24 men and nine women, including a former Cyberport Management Company employee.

ICAC says it has dismantled two syndicates involved in defrauding two Hong Kong tech grant schemes. Photo: Jelly Tse
Myanmar

Video | China executes 11 members of telecoms syndicate

Members of the Ming family crime syndicate found guilty of murder, illegal detention, running casinos and other offences.

Crime in Hong Kong

Hong Kong drivers warned to look out for sham compensation claims

Some motorists hit with sudden massive civil claims well after police close minor traffic cases.

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Singapore

Singapore jails, canes 6 Indonesians after illegal re-entry on sinking boat

The group was rescued by police when their vessel capsized during a chase. One man was sentenced to 21 months for his sixth illegal entry.

Singapore national flags flutter over a view of the city skyline in August 2022. Photo: EPA-EFE
Japan

How a Japan doctor lost everything to his friend after agreeing to reunion

‘I lost all my savings and couldn’t even hold a proper funeral for my mother. My life has been destroyed,’ the victim says.

Tokyo’s Ginza district. A doctor running a clinic in the locality has sued his childhood friend for US$4.4 million, alleging fraudulent investment schemes ruined his life. Photo: Shutterstock
Malaysia

‘Well-known’ Malaysian Tan Sri arrested in US$75 million investment scam probe

The titled businessman had allegedly used his position and influence to attract and convince about 1,700 people to invest in two companies.

Cambodia

Video | South Korean scam suspects brought home from Cambodia

Seoul continues its crackdown on scam centres in Southeast Asia following the kidnapping and murder of a South Korean student in Cambodia.

Southeast Asia forced-labour scams

Video | Hundreds of Indonesians leave Cambodian scam centres

Authorities are investigating whether scam workers, many without legal documents, joined voluntarily.

Indonesia says more than 1,400 of its nationals have left cyberscam networks in Cambodia in recent days. Many reportedly did not hold passports and entered Cambodia without proper documentation. Indonesia’s ambassador to Cambodia, Santo Darmosumarto, said on January 21, 2026, that most of those seeking repatriation did not appear to be victims of human trafficking.
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Hong Kong courts

Editorial | Hong Kong needs constant vigilance to thwart cybercriminals

A Law Reform Commission report recommending new criminal offences targeting specific cybercrimes is welcome, but broader efforts are required.

A Law Reform Commission subcommittee has proposed new crimes included the illegal accessing, interception and interference with computer data or systems. Photo: Shutterstock
United States

Archegos’ Bill Hwang seeks Trump pardon for fraud that cost banks US$10 billion

The veteran US investor was sentenced to 18 years in jail after being convicted in the high-profile Wall Street case.

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United States

Former flight attendant posed as pilot for hundreds of free US trips

Dallas Pokornik, 33, pleaded not guilty to a scheme where he allegedly used forged credentials to board major US airlines.

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