Earlier this year, a video surfaced online showing a man identified as the Chinese businessman and reputed mafia boss Wan Kuok-koi giving a thumbs-up and smiling while flying a paraglider over limestone crags in central Laos.
Law-enforcement officials around the world say Wan—better known by the nickname Broken Tooth, which he received after a motorcycle crash as a teenager in Macau—has played a central role in the emergence of a virulent new form of cyber fraud known as "pig butchering."
In pig butchering schemes, scammers meet people online, win their trust and persuade them to pour money into bogus investments. U.S. officials say the scams are costing Americans billions of dollars a year.
Yet no one seems to be trying very hard to get Broken Tooth. He keeps popping up on social media traveling around Asia. In one video that appeared on Chinese social media, Telegram and Chinese news websites this year, he was seen stepping off a plane in Laos wearing a T-shirt with the logo of Russia's paramilitary Wagner Group, meeting another alleged Chinese crime boss.
The case of Broken Tooth—who served about 14 years in a Macau prison after he was convicted of participating in organized crime, money laundering and other crimes before his release in 2012—shows how a fragmented global response to cyber scams allows suspects to roam free as pig butchering spreads.
The U.S. Treasury Department imposed sanctions on Broken Tooth in 2020 for corruption. The Treasury Department also designated three entities it said were owned or controlled by Broken Tooth, including a company called Dongmei Group, which was behind a development called Dongmei Zone in Myanmar. The site later became known as one of the earliest scam compounds.
Washington also said he owned or controlled the World Hongmen History and Culture Association, which U.S. authorities describe as a criminal network inspired by Chinese secret societies that has a presence at Dongmei.
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
The Treasures of Nimrud Pieced Together Again
Archaeologists Have Been Reassembling Bas-Reliefs, Sculptures and Decorated Slabs
How Bhansali elevates the first encounter
An excerpt from a new book on the Hindi director considers the importance of first sightings in Sanjay Leela Bhansali's cinema
From arrack to wine, a bar crawl across Sri Lanka
Cocktail bars in the island nation are drawing on local traditions and flavours to give a heady twist to familiar spirits
Only human-centred AI can charm humans to adopt it
The AI industry could learn from carmakers how to focus on the consumer and modify perceptions
How Emerging Economies Could Prosper in a Protectionist World
As manufacturing export success gets harder, they should focus on service exports. These are unlikely to face big trade barriers
The Asian Dream Is Waking Up To Realities Of Middle-Class Life
Asians are realizing that staying middle-class is not guaranteed
Fix India's bond market to lift economic growth
As India's economy slows, we should revive public-private partnerships to attract private investment. But, for debt funding, we'll need to reform and invigorate our market for bonds
Lessons from the 75-year-old National Sample Survey
Its impressive history tells us much about innovation, autonomy and state-level data collection
We should let clarity prevail over nonsense: Here's a handy guide
We must use simple language, empathize with people, not take ourselves too seriously and be kind
Clear Goals and Discipline: How Small Investors Can Build Lasting Wealth
There is no one-size-fits-all, the answer will depend on your needs, personal preferences
