Get all your news in one place.

100's of premium titles.
One app.

Start reading

Get all your news in one place.

100's of premium titles. One news app.

Start reading

REVEALED: Wang xing | Rare Historical Photos

What is a pig butchering scam and how might it lose you money?

ANALYSIS: Bing Han takes a look at the rise of ‘pig butchering scams’ and how you can avoid them

The Independent UK

‘Pig butchering’ scams have stolen billions from people around the world. Here’s what you need to know

At the beginning of 2025, panic about fraud and human trafficking erupted on Chinese social media. It started when a Chinese actor called Wang Xing was tricked into travelling to Thailand for an audition, where he was abducted by criminals and taken to a scam centre in Myanmar.

The Conversation

Tens of thousands could be held in illegal scam compounds in Myanmar, Thai police general says

Head of anti-trafficking agency says dozens of Chinese criminal gangs were running the centres

The Guardian - AU

From analysis to the latest developments in health,
read the most diverse news in one place.

Scam centre kidnap fears keep Chinese tourists on edge

Chinese tourists visiting Thailand for Lunar New Year are worried about being kidnapped by gangsters to work in scam centres, despite efforts to reassure them.

Bangkok Post

Fears Of Scam Centre Kidnaps Keep Chinese Tourists On Edge In Thailand

Chinese tourists visiting Thailand for Lunar New Year are worried about being kidnapped by gangsters to work in hellish scam centres, despite efforts to reassure them.

International Business Times

China detains suspect in human trafficking cases linked to online scam networks in Myanmar

Chinese authorities have detained a key suspect in human trafficking cases linked to online scam networks in Myanmar

The Independent UK

A Chinese actor's kidnapping ordeal raises fears over traveling to Southeast Asia

Users on Chinese social media app Xiaohongshu asked if it was safe to travel to Thailand while a Hong Kong singer-actor canceled his Bangkok concert.

Fortune

Read news from The Economist, FT, and more,
with one subscription

Chinese Actor Rescued From Scam Compound In Myanmar

Chinese actor Wang Xing's rescue from a scam center in Myanmar triggers efforts to locate missing victims, raising safety concerns for Chinese tourists in ...

Top News

A kidnapped Chinese actor, a scam gang, and a very public rescue operation

Wang Xing was abducted in Thailand by increasingly bold crime gangs operating in Myanmar, putting an entire tourism industry at risk

The Guardian - AU

2 more Chinese nationals missing near Thai-Myanmar border

Thai police were launching an investigation into the disappearance of two more Chinese nationals – a male model and a woman - after their relatives sought help.

Bangkok Post

Chinese actor Wang Xing says he was trafficked to Myanmar

Actor says he was forced to work at a cyber fraud centre scamming Chinese people

The Independent UK

Thai police say Chinese actor was trafficked to Myanmar to work in a scam operation

Thai police say a Chinese actor who disappeared and was found near the border of Myanmar in an area where online scam networks operate was a victim of human trafficking

The Independent UK

Missing Chinese actor found safe

Chinese actor Wang Xing, who went missing last week near the Thai-Myanmar border, has been safely returned to Thailand and may have been the victim of human trafficking, Thai authorities said on Tuesday.

Bangkok Post

Billionaires and bureaucrats mobilize China for AI race with US

China’s tech sector has a new obsession: competing with U.S. titans like Google and Microsoft Corp. in the breakneck global artificial intelligence race.

Tribune News Service

Get all your
news in one place.

100's of premium titles.
One news app.

Bangkok Post

Chinese billionaires go all-in on AI

China’s tech sector has a new obsession: competing with US titans like Google and Microsoft in the breakneck global artificial intelligence "arms race".

Caixin Global

Meituan’s Billionaire Co-Founder Trims Li Auto Stake in $53 Million Sale

Wang Xing offloaded about $53.3 million worth of shares in the Chinese EV-maker last month, but remains its biggest external shareholder

People

Xi Jinping

6,967 stories

Paetongtarn Shinawatra

From analysis to the latest developments in health,
read the most diverse news in one place.

Organisations

Read news from The Economist, FT, and more,
with one subscription

Topics

Artificial Intelligence

Places

Fourteen days free

Download the app

One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.