Cross-border scams are the new normal for Chinese people. What’s our collective response?
- YUXIN XUE
- 7月28日
- 讀畢需時 5 分鐘
已更新：8月7日
They know who you are, even if you're far away overseas
In this era where information is transformed into data and data is turned into commodities, many people are experiencing a strange and dangerous reality: who you are, where you are, and who you are related to - none of these are secrets.
Especially when your identity information was once stored in the Chinese system, or is still bound to domestic social tools, communication numbers, and payment platforms, those data remnants still pull you along.
This makes many Chinese people, even if they are thousands of miles away, still potentially become the "precise targets" of cross-border telecommunications fraud. They leave their homes, but fail to escape the schemes that can cross national borders.
Scripted scams are spreading across the globe, and Chinese people are the “top targets.”
Over the past few years, the "chain of fraud targeting only Chinese people" has transcended geographical boundaries and moved away from the traditional "deception techniques", evolving into a comprehensive system project that integrates script design, psychological manipulation and technical simulation.
The core bases of these fraud groups initially concentrated in black market zones in northern Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos and other regions, but now have expanded to the Middle East (such as Saudi Arabia), African port cities, and even the gray areas of some European and Asian countries. In these zones, "salespeople" undergo systematic training and learn to use pure Mandarin to imitate embassies, public security authorities, immigration offices, and bank customer service, and even can call upon highly realistic "official document templates" to create an unquestionable sense of oppression.
Chinese people aren’t just being labeled. Scammers are familiar with the "intimidation + compliance" mechanism and are skilled at exploiting the trust in authoritative institutions, the unfamiliarity with legal language, and the reverence for national and family order to design a "seemingly reasonable and perilous" trap route.
Chinese students overseas aren’t the only victims, but they tend to get drawn in more easily and deeply
Regarding the common scams targeting overseas Chinese, the perpetrators are constantly innovating their tactics and enhancing their control. Here are some of the most common patterns at present:
Phishing calls impersonating the Chinese embassy or police: The call shows "+86" or a local number, and claims that you are "involved in a secret matter" or "under investigation", demanding that you cooperate with remote investigations and even submit your financial information.
"Money laundering" accusation: Claim that your identity has been used to launder illegal money. This may involve freezing assets, transferring funds, obtaining remote statements, etc.
Immigration/Border Agency Threats: They falsely claim that you violated the local visa regulations and require you to pay a bail bond, or to return to your home country for processing.
Phishing emails + counterfeit websites: Fake official websites of Chinese embassies and visa centers, asking for filling out "information update" forms, but actually stealing passport and bank card information.
Emotional fraud combined with false investment (commonly known as "Pig-butchering scam"): Through social platforms to make contact, then induce the victim to transfer funds to a fictitious project.
"Online shopping customer service" / "International logistics" fraud: Claiming that the package was intercepted by customs, contained drugs, or was stolen from the bank, etc., and demanding to be handled.
Their goal is never just about money — it’s about controlling your mind, making you “willingly cooperate” until you fall into the abyss.
Chinese people going abroad have stepped into a global blind spot of information risk.
In this era where the fraud schemes are constantly evolving and cross-border collaboration becomes increasingly covert, victims are still generally in a state of "information lag".
It's hard to believe that that seemingly official wanted notice was fabricated; that behind the phrase "This is a safe account" lies the black screen of the data center and remote control instructions. You can't even tell whether the "police" in the video call are actors, AI synthesis, or a deeply disguised fraud gang.
When "fraud" becomes like an administrative process, and every screenshot and every phone call is flawlessly flawless, what truly traps you is not greed or stupidity, but loneliness, information gap, and - the thing you once thought "This can't happen to me".
This is why we need to tell this story.
Our Response: Building a Space That Refuses Silence
In an era where scams can cross borders and manipulate emotions precisely, victims often cannot even describe "what happened", let alone receive understanding and support.
The establishment of this website is aimed at changing this situation.
We hope it will be a truly safe space. Here, there are no accusations, no labels. There are only as much clear information as possible, efforts to restore the truth, and the possibility of allowing each other to see.
The website will present the first-hand experiences of the international students - those who have come into contact with fraud gangs, struggled, escaped or survived, as well as the warnings left by those who were unable to speak out. We will also collect the professional voices from family members, the parties involved, and legal practitioners to understand the underlying structural issues behind these events from different perspectives. Next, we will release them one by one:
Interview Record of International Students' Experiences with Fraudulent Activities
The Perspective of Parents and the Importance of Family Support
The legal experts' interpretation of the differences between the Chinese and Malaysian systems
Psychological support strategies, coping guidelines and warning scripts
These are not intended to evoke empathy, but rather to establish a clearer, more practical and honest protection network.
If you have ever experienced something similar, we hope you know this: It's not just you, and it's not because you did something wrong. If you are willing to speak, this is a place where we can start.
The Voices We Hear — and Share
The logo features a minimalist shield shape enclosing the word “Shielded” in calm, grounding tones. The design symbolises protection, trust, and a safe haven for Chinese students navigating the growing threat of cross-border scams. The name “Shielded” reflects both the urgency to defend and the warmth of support — creating a digital space where awareness, empathy, and community intersect.
Next, this website will successively release videos that we have personally edited and produced. Each video presents the real voices of different characters under the shadow of cross-border fraud. You will hear Xie Yuxin's parents recount the month when their daughter struggled with mental manipulation - a child who almost handed over nearly 300,000 yuan, and the pain of anxiety, helplessness and almost ignorance as parents on the other side. You will see Zhuo Yueshan, a legal professional from Chongqing. She once worked in the Chinese court system and held several legal professional qualification certificates. Later, she came to Taylor's University to pursue a master's degree in law. Through the interwoven gaps between the legal systems of China and Malaysia, she saw the voids where the victims had fallen. You will hear Tan Chiao Yi, a young woman who has just graduated from Taylor's Law undergraduate program and is striving to obtain the Malaysian bar qualification, talk about the institutional blind spots, rights protection obstacles and practical predicaments in her eyes. There is also Li Shuangqing, a graduate of Taylor's Mass Communication program. She and her mother once received a fraud call from someone claiming to be from a Chinese law enforcement agency and were forced to cooperate with the investigation, almost mistakenly believing that they couldn't board a plane to leave the country. Later, in Malaysia, she received another call from someone claiming to be from the "Communications Bureau". Her story reminds us that danger may be closer than we think. These are the voices we centre—raw, reflective, and real. Because to shield ourselves, we must first listen.
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