Leaders | International crime

The vast, sophisticated and fast-growing global enterprise that is Scam Inc

Online scamming leaves nobody safe

A piggy bank caught on a fish hook
image: Le.BLUE

EDGAR MET Rita on LinkedIn. He worked for a Canadian software company, she was from Singapore and was with a large consultancy. They were just friends, but they chatted online all the time. One day Rita offered to teach him how to trade crypto. With her help, he made good money. So he raised his stake. However, after Edgar tried to cash out, it became clear that the crypto-trading site was a fake and that he had lost $78,000. Rita, it turned out, was a trafficked Filipina held prisoner in a compound in Myanmar.

Explore more

This article appeared in the Leaders section of the print edition under the headline “Scam Inc”

From the February 8th 2025 edition

Discover stories from this section and more in the list of contents

Explore the edition

More from Leaders

This illustration shows Cambridge and Oxford universities. They are surrounded by a curved, black-and-white striped path. The background is bright red with black and white speckles.

How Labour can unshackle Britain’s most innovative region

It will have to confront the charge of elitism

U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to reporters about the collision of an American Airlines flight with a military Black Hawk helicopter near Ronald Reagan National Airport, in the Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House.

The meaning of Donald Trump’s war on woke workers

A worthwhile idea is straying into cruelty and, possibly, illegality


This illustration shows a large green military truck with multiple wheels. It has a red shipping container mounted on its back, raised at an angle by hydraulic arms. The background is plain yellow.

It’s not over: Donald Trump could still blow up global trade

Ideology, complacent markets and a need for revenue may still lead to big tariffs


America’s scheme for Gaza contains much to regret

As well as some hard truths

Despite fears of a global tax war, Donald Trump has a chance to make peace

A global minimum tax on companies ought to be acceptable to America

How to use “maximum pressure” to stop an Iranian bomb

The Islamic Republic is closer than ever to obtaining nukes