Chinese actor bailout sheds light on fraud centers

A small Chinese actress had been missing for two days in Thailand when her girlfriend decided to turn to the internet for help.

“We have no choice but to borrow the power of the Internet to amplify our voices,” Wang Xing’s girlfriend wrote on Chinese social media platform Weibo on January 5.

The claim went viral after being shared by China’s biggest celebrities, including singer Lay Zhang and actress Qin Lan.

The 31-year-old Wang had the attention of the country, as well as his government.

On January 7, Wang was rescued from a fraud center across the border in Myanmar;

But the swift but mysterious rescue has also prompted questions about the fate of those still trapped in the fraud centers. The case is a grim reminder of the thriving criminal enterprises that still prey on hundreds of thousands of people, forcing them to commit cybercrimes.

Families of Chinese nationals who may be in one of these compounds have started a petition asking their government to help them too. The application document is shared online so that anyone can fill in the missing cases. It has already increased to more than 600 cases from the initial 174, and is still growing.

Wang told the police that about 50 Chinese were detained at the same place as him.

“We are desperate to know if the other Chinese with him (were) rescued,” read one Weibo top-like comment.

“Other people’s lives are also lives.”

Wang disappeared on January 3 in the Thai border town of Mae Sot, which has become a hub for people-trafficking into Myanmar.

He moved to Bangkok for an acting job offered to him on WeChat. The person claimed to represent a major Thai entertainment company, according to Thai police.

The actor later told reporters that he had been on a shoot in Thailand around 2018 and had no idea this was any different. But he was picked up in a car and taken to Myanmar, where he was beheaded and forced to undergo training to cheat people on phone calls.

His girlfriend wrote on Weibo that she and her brother chased him and tried to get the police involved, but “there were few results”: Chinese police had yet to register a case, while the Thai embassy advised them to approach Wang’s family. Mae Sot police.

But as discussions about Wang’s whereabouts grew louder on Chinese social media, authorities began to act. The case was eventually registered, and the embassy told the media that it was taking the case very seriously.

The next day, Thai and Chinese officials announced that Wang had been rescued.

His first public appearance was with Thai police, but he said little, leaving officials to explain what happened.

Details of the rescue itself have been scarce. Officials have not clarified which fraud center he was in as conflicting versions of the story unfolded.

One reason could be that giving up more information was part of the deal that led to his release, according to a source who rescued people from scam centers who did not want to be named.

He told the BBC that these fraud centers are keen to avoid attention. This meant that releasing Wang was a better option than risking the entire operation because of the attention his disappearance would attract.

Beijing also wanted to end the debate over Wang’s case. He wants the public to believe that he has done enough and that the fraud centers on his border are no longer a problem.

A joint operation by China and ethnic groups in 2023 sought to shut down fraud centers in Myanmar’s Shan State.

But those on the ground – NGOs and independent rescuers – tell the BBC the scams are still growing, with construction spreading to even more remote regions.

Today, the area around the Thai border is Myanmar’s main hub of international fraud, exploiting partnerships with various armed groups vying for power there.

New fraud compounds have been built south of the town of Myawaddy, near the Thai border, where the worst cases of forced labor and other abuses are being reported.

This has put a lot of pressure on Thailand, whose economy is based on tourism, especially from China.

Wang’s case has some Chinese wondering how safe it is to travel to Thailand. “After this Wang Xing incident, it seems that fewer people will go to Southeast Asia, including Thailand,” said one popular Weibo post.

His bailout may be a win-win for Thai officials and Beijing, but it has not ended the controversy, nor the spotlight on compound fraud.

On Thursday, lines from her latest interview trended on Weibo: “Actress Wang Xing says she couldn’t eat much food in Myanmar and didn’t have time to use the toilet.”

His brief disappearance has revealed how common the risk has become: others in the Chinese film industry have shared accounts of being tricked by scammers offering jobs in Thailand.

Thai police are reportedly investigating the case of another Chinese model who went missing on the Thai-Myanmar border after being promised a job in Thailand.

The China Radio and Television Association said in a statement on Tuesday that “many actors” have gone abroad with false promises to make films, resulting in “serious damage to their personal and financial security”.

“We are very concerned about this,” the statement said.

“Please save (Wang) from danger and bring the story of No More Bets to life,” Wang’s girlfriend said in her Weibo post – referring to the stars of the 2023 film who were rescued after being trafficked to fraud centers.

Wang – like those in the film – is among a lucky minority.

Hundreds of thousands of victims in China, Taiwan, Malaysia and Singapore remain trapped in vast compound scams with little hope of rescue.

But ahead of the Lunar New Year, when hordes of Chinese tourists are expected to visit Thailand, the Thai government is keen to emphasize that the country is a safe destination. Thai police also insisted that no Thais were involved in Wang’s trafficking.

Wang, recently released from his ordeal, has no worries about returning to Thailand, a police officer told reporters on Wednesday.

In fact, he added, Wang has promised to return it.