Age of ‘scam state’: How illicit, multibillion-dollar industry has taken root in south-east Asia

December 2, 2025

The Guardian: So monolithic has the multi-billion dollar global scam industry become that experts say we are entering the era of the “scam state”. Like the narco-state, the term refers to countries where an illicit industry has dug its tentacles deep into legitimate institutions, reshaping the economy, corrupting governments and establishing state reliance on an illegal network…