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China crackdown shifts online scam syndicates to Americans
The UN estimated victims of transnational online scams from the Asia-Pacific region lost up to $114.1 billion last year.
Criminal syndicates are increasingly shifting online scam targeting from Chinese nationals to Americans after Beijing’s 2023 crackdown on online scams in Southeast Asia, analysts said. The pattern has created a global whack-a-mole dynamic as groups adapt to enforcement efforts.
According to SCMP Economy, the Southeast Asia cyberscam industry expanded rapidly in recent years, moving from targeting Chinese speakers to taking victims across borders. Sue-Lin Wong, host of the Scam Inc. podcast, said China has advantages in protecting its own citizens from scams compared with the US.
SCMP Economy also cited an estimate from the United Nations that victims of transnational online scams originating in the Asia-Pacific region lost up to $114.1 billion last year. Wong said the shift is “terrible for Americans” who are losing money to scams.