Fraud

From labs to billboards: Behind China’s push to turn scientists into patriotic icons

Giant tributes to nuclear physicists and rocket scientists are popping up across major Chinese cities. However, academic Erik Baark observes that behind the scientific drive is a push for academic reforms.

Erik Baark

16 Oct 2026

[Video] This PhD dropout exposes China’s academic fraud — can he change the system?

Online exposés by Student Geng, a PhD dropout-turned-influencer, have led to the downfall of top Chinese researchers and the largest academic misconduct investigation to date. ThinkChina’s Lu Lingming and Yi Jina find out what is fuelling the problem.

Lu Lingming, Yi Jina

09 Oct 2026

[Big read] How China’s pyramid schemes used ‘state secrets’ to lure victims

China’s pyramid schemes have abandoned centralised communes to recruit via social media, romance-baiting and promises of quick wealth. Lianhe Zaobao associate China news editor Sim Tze Wei examines how state rhetoric is weaponised to keep victims in the dark.

Sim Tze Wei

30 Sep 2026

I went to Nanning to find the pyramid schemes that lured Singaporeans

After 52 Singaporeans were arrested in Guangxi, Lianhe Zaobao associate China news editor Sim Tze Wei travelled to Nanning to trace the pyramid schemes said to have lured them in — and found a city where real policies and projects can be repackaged as fake investment opportunities.

Sim Tze Wei

07 Sep 2026

Warm tea and brainwashing: Why Singaporeans fall for China’s 1040 scam

Despite years of police crackdowns, the “1040 Sunshine Project” continues to thrive in new and increasingly covert forms, luring victims with promises of enormous returns and claims of secret state backing. Lianhe Zaobao correspondent Zhang Guanghui dives into the issue.

Zhang Guanghui

07 Sep 2026

Dating apps build a business around catfishing older men

China’s dating scams are becoming an industrial business. Fraud rings use dating apps, fake local profiles and paid chat operators to build emotional ties with men and push them to spend on virtual gifts, ensnaring thousands of victims.

Caixin Global

14 Aug 2026

Thai Buddhist amulets draw China’s anxious youth — and laundering networks

Thai Buddhist amulets have become a lifeline for anxious young Chinese — and an ideal vehicle for cross-border money laundering, forcing Thai authorities to crack down on the fast-growing amulet trade.

Caixin Global

07 Aug 2026

[Big read] Why Chinese gamers pay African youths to play for them

Chinese-run studios across Africa employ young workers to grind the game — do repetitive tasks to gain in-game currency — turning play into digital labour and exposing the opportunities and tensions behind the business. Lianhe Zaobao correspondent Lim Zhan Ting finds out more.

Lim Zhan Ting

29 Jul 2026

A journalist’s farewell: The people who changed how I see China

As her stint ends, Lianhe Zaobao Shanghai correspondent Li Kang looks past the trade wars and economic data to remember the raw resilience, vulnerability and quiet dignity of the ordinary people she met.

Li Kang

29 Jun 2026

PwC’s Evergrande crisis deepens with record Hong Kong settlement and criminal probes

Evergrande’s fraud has caught up with PricewaterhouseCoopers in Hong Kong, bringing major fines, client exits and criminal probes, and casting doubt over the accounting giant’s future in Hong Kong and mainland China.

Caixin Global

04 May 2026

US-China rivalry undermines fight against cyber scams in Southeast Asia

China and the US have reasons to work together to tackle the scourge of cyberfraud in Southeast Asia. The problem, however, is that their geopolitical rivalry gets in the way.

Stephen Olson

28 Apr 2026

Evergrande’s Hui Ka Yan: From rags to empire to prison

The collapse of Evergrande and its chairman Hui Ka Yan, marks the end of the man-made property boom in China. Lianhe Zaobao’s China news editor Yang Danxu traces the rise and fall of China’s former richest man.

Yang Danxu

15 Apr 2026