Cyber scams, tax evasion, and billion-dollar embezzlement: Financial Crimes in the Mekong | The Index Podcast

Since the Covid-19 pandemic, cyber scams have surged across the Mekong region. Abandoned casinos and hotels have been turned into “scam compounds” serving as bases for romance scams, fake call centres, Ponzi schemes, and voice-phishing operations. These schemes have tricked hundreds of people to transfer money into mule accounts.But the problem goes far deeper. Criminal networks are profiting from tax evasion, smuggling, and large-scale embezzlement. In 2024, Vietnamese billionaire Truong My Lan was sentenced to death (since converted to life in prison) for embezzling $12 billion from the Saigon Commercial Bank.But what’s driving the rise in financial crime across Southeast Asia? And what connects these cases?🎙 Featuring BC Tan, Managing Director and Head of Investigations for Southeast Asia at Kroll🎤 Hosted by Thin Lei Win🔗 Learn more at ocindex.netThis podcast has been funded by the Australian Government through the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. The views expressed in this publication are the author's alone and are not necessarily the views of the Australian Government.