Why Asia’s ‘scamdemic’ is everyone’s problem
Organised crime’s growth industry is scaling exponentially. Washington and Beijing could solve it – if they work together
Add BT as a preferred source
WHAT do a Chinese actor, an Illinois widow and a young Vietnamese man have in common? They are all victims of scams – once an annoying and seemingly random crime that has scaled up into a global business that cost the world US$1 trillion last year.
The breadth of the industry stretches far and wide, stemming from forced labour gulags in the grey-zone borderlands of South-east Asia.
This is a crisis run by international crime syndicates that no single nation can solve, despite many previous efforts. Ending it will require the US and China to put rivalry aside and cooperate in a region where they both exercise huge influence. The alternative? This shadowy industry will only grow bolder, and harder to stop.
TRENDING NOW
CSE Global independent director quits after clashes with chairman Eugene Lai over board refresh
What’s wrong with Orchard Road? Experts weigh in on the street’s cachet and its future
‘I felt like dying’: Thai Singha beer scion speaks up after disclosure of alleged sexual abuse
Rare brutalist Singapore house opens to the public before changing hands
