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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
Singapore’s Protection from Scams Bill grants law enforcement sweeping powers to freeze bank accounts and block credit access for suspected scam victims. Photo: Shutterstock
Malaysia

As Singapore cracks down on online financial scams, will Malaysia follow suit?

Malaysia and Thailand are reviewing their own laws against online fraud, with an eye on Singapore’s Protection from Scams bill.

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Hong Kong politics

Explainer | How can Hongkongers protect themselves from Southeast Asian job scams?

Crime in Hong Kong

‘Please save my son’: Chinese families’ desperate appeals over Thai job scams

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Crime in Hong Kong

Hong Kong task force receives ‘eager response’ from Thailand over detainees

Government hopes to rescue victims as soon as possible but there is no timeline in place, task force official says.

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Undersecretary for Security Michael Cheuk says the group has had “good communications on the latest situation and intelligence”. Photo: Sam Tsang
Myanmar

Myanmar’s thriving ‘Scam City’ outfoxes efforts to shut it down

Chinese actor’s rescue reveals how scam factories continue expanding unchecked, as rights groups urge China, Thailand to step up crackdown measures.

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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.

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Hong Kong politics

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

Authorities also warn kidnappers have changed tactics, pretending to arrange for victims to take goods to Japan or Taiwan before changing destinations.

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Chinese actor Wang Xing has been found and returned from Myanmar to mainland China, after he was reported missing on January 3. Photo: Facebook
Accidents and personal safety

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

Security Bureau says Immigration Department followed up on case and ‘it is understood that the person has returned to Hong Kong’.

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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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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Vietnamese property tycoon Truong My Lan attends her trial at the People’s High Court of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, on December 3. Photo: EPA-EFE
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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A handout photo from the Royal Thai Police shows Chinese actor Wang Xing being escorted by officers after returning from Myanmar, at the police airport in Bangkok, Thailand, on Tuesday. Photo: EPA-EFE
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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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.

Singapore’s new law empowers police to freeze bank accounts of scam victims to prevent further losses. Photo: AFP
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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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.

Scammers were taught to learn their victims work schedules and feign interest in their hobbies to dupe them into taking part in investment scams. Photo: Shutterstock
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.

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.

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.

There has been a surge of in-flight thefts on board airlines flying into and out of Narita International Airport in Tokyo. Photo: Shutterstock
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.

Thirteen Filipino women, imprisoned in Cambodia for surrogacy, have been pardoned and returned home after a royal pardon. Photo: Shutterstock
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.

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.

A son in Taiwan has turned the tables on a online scam gang by devising a cunning plan to get back the cash they took from his father. Photo: SCMP composite/Shutterstock
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.

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.

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