China’s cyberscam crackdown pushed syndicates to target Americans, analysts say
Criminal syndicates increasingly turned from targeting Chinese nationals to Americans after Beijing’s 2023 crackdown on online scams in Southeast Asia, analysts said on Wednesday, triggering a global game of “whack-a-mole”. “China has a huge advantage and a head start in terms of
AdvertisementUS-China relationsUSScience & TechnologyChina’s cyberscam crackdown pushed syndicates to target Americans, analysts sayBeijing curbed attacks on Chinese victims, but criminal networks shifted abroad as scams spread into a global industry3-MIN READ3-MIN ListenLucy Quagginin New YorkPublished: 2:36am, 23 Jul 2026Criminal syndicates increasingly turned from targeting Chinese nationals to Americans after Beijing’s 2023 crackdown on online scams in Southeast Asia, analysts said on Wednesday, triggering a global game of “whack-a-mole”.“China has a huge advantage and a head start in terms of trying to protect its own citizens from scams compared to the US,” said Sue-Lin Wong, who hosts the Scam Inc. podcast, adding that it is “terrible for Americans who are losing a lot of money”.
In recent years, Southeast Asia’s cyberscam industry has grown rapidly, with criminal syndicates initially targeting Chinese speakers before expanding globally to prey on victims around the world.Victims of transnational online scams from the Asia-Pacific region lost up to US$114.1 billion last year, the United Nations said this week.
China launched a sweeping crackdown on scam networks operating in Southeast Asia in 2023, involving rare cross-border cooperation.“This industry is kind of whack-a-mole,” added Wong, who is also the chief Asia correspondent at The Economist.AdvertisementSelect VoiceSelect Speed0.
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