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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.
As an international financial centre, Hong Kong must ensure its financial security standards are world-class. Photo: Jelly Tse
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

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Sri Lanka

The great scam migration: fraudsters fleeing Cambodia find a new hub

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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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Lu Jianwang (left) and defence lawyer John Carman outside federal court in Brooklyn, New York, on Wednesday moments after the verdict was read. Photo: Mark Magnier
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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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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Crime in Hong Kong

She answered an advert for a part-time helper. Then she lost HK$2.25 million

Hong Kong woman, 25, describes how her job search led her to sign documents helping ‘lawyer’ for a ‘big shot’ and take out string of loans.

(From left) District councillor Lau Kar-wah, the victim of the scam, district councillor Alan Yu and lawmaker Bill Tang Ka-biu brief the media on the crime. Photo: Facebook / Bill Tang
Crime in Hong Kong

Opinion | My finance expertise was no defence against online scammers

Perpetrators of online fraud are enabled by new technology and connectivity, meaning everyone must be on their guard.

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Cambodian authorities display equipment at an alleged online scam operation at a condominium in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, on March 11. Photo: EPA
The Philippines

Can Philippines’ new anti-Pogo playbook rein in fast-moving scam hubs?

The new inter-agency rules aim to give investigators a framework tailored to Pogo-linked crime and support a coordinated response.

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Malaysia

Video | Why Malaysian-Indians are less likely to be scammed

Arrested scammers told police in Penang that Malaysian-Indians were toughest to deceive.

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Crime in Hong Kong

Hong Kong Law Society closes firm linked to crash-for-cash scam

Society’s council intervenes in the practice of Raymond Lam & Associates, which will cease operations with immediate effect.

The society said it found prima facie evidence suggesting employees at Raymond Lam & Associates had committed dishonest acts and failed to adhere to accounting rules. Photo: Jelly Tse
Malaysia

‘Barrage of questions’: Malaysian Indians least likely to be scammed, police say

Despite all races being equally targeted, ethnic Indians lost the least because they would keep questioning until the scammers gave up.

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Hong Kong courts

Brokerage clerk admits helping syndicate defraud employer of HK$31 million

Wong Pui-shan approved withdrawals from company accounts after being contacted by man claiming she was subject of Beijing national security office probe.

Thailand

Thailand to extradite Indonesian man in US$10 million scam targeting Americans

The suspect allegedly hired models to lure targets into phoney investment schemes over video calls, dating apps and social media.

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Waves crash on Kalim beach in Phuket. The suspect was arrested from a luxury resort on the Thai island. Photo: Shutterstock
Crime in Hong Kong

Editorial | Gold scams are a reminder that crime prevention must keep up

The city’s anti-scam work must continue to evolve as scammers exploit new vulnerabilities with AI and seemingly limitless imagination.

A jewellery store in Tsim Sha Tsui on January 28. Photo: Sam Tsang
Cambodia

US slaps sanctions on Cambodian senator suspected of controlling scam centres

The sanction freezes all US assets linked to Senator Kok An and his named associates, and bars any American national from dealing with them.

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Chinese history

Inside the 14k, the Hong Kong triad that went global

From its roots in mainland China to expansion in Hong Kong and beyond, we look at the history of one of the most notorious triad societies.

The Philippines

This retiree in the Philippines downloaded an app. Then he lost his life savings

Industrial-scale malware is replacing ‘pig-butchering’ as Cambodia’s scam hubs pivot to high-speed digital heists.

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“Malware-as-a-service” seizes control of a user’s phone after gaining entry through a fraudulent app, monitoring use in real-time and harvesting data such as fingerprints. Photo: Shutterstock
Crime in Hong Kong

Hong Kong police arrest 9 over HK$1.7 million in fake travel insurance claims

Syndicate allegedly faked overseas accidents with forged documents to claim payouts from insurers without ever leaving the city.

Nine suspects have been held after Hong Kong police uncovered a scheme involving bogus overseas accident claims and forged documents. Photo: Jonathan Wong
Malaysia

How an alleged Malaysian scammer vanished with US$25 billion in life savings

More than 300 ­foreign nationals flock to Malaysia in pursuit of justice over the ‘High Inspirations’ scam.

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Crime in Hong Kong

Scammers trick students abroad into buying gold in fake money-laundering probes

Hong Kong police say at least nine victims studying in UK, Australia and other countries have fallen prey to the scams.

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