Technology from American companies is being used to power a revolution in the scam industry, playing a key role in the industrialization and globalization of fraud in ways that have not been clear until now, an AP/“FRONTLINE” investigation has found. Watchdogs say these companies have the technical capacity to do more to protect against abuse but lack the legal, regulatory and business incentives to crack down on a crime the Federal Trade Commission estimates cost Americans nearly $200 billion in losses in 2024.

A self-exiled billionaire Chinese business tycoon has been sentenced to 30 years in prison for a fraud conviction. Judge Analisa Torres sentenced Guo Wengui on Monday in Manhattan federal court, saying he still insists incredibly that his conduct caused no loss and harmed no one. Given a chance to speak, Guo said he came to the U.S. to destroy the Chinese Communist Party. But the judge said he instead diverted investor money to live lavishly. Guo left China a decade ago and reinvented himself as a critic of the Communist Party. Defense lawyers, meanwhile, asked for leniency, saying a harsh sentence would embolden the Chinese government to target others in the U.S.

The AP/“FRONTLINE” investigation was based on tens of thousands of leaked scam center files, videos and photos; an analysis with C4ADS of misuse of artificial intelligence at scam centers; an examination of more than 200,000 connections made by devices at four scam compounds in Myanmar linked to entities sanctioned by the U.S. government; and interviews with 58 scam victims and three dozen current and former scammers from 19 countries.

An attorney in Washington state promised “miracles” to tens of thousands of immigrants seeking legal status. Instead, lawsuits and a legal ethics investigation say her firm fabricated abuse or human trafficking claims about clients in order to apply for humanitarian visas. The lawsuits say this was all done without her clients' knowledge. In June, Alexandra Lozano's law firm shut down after the state bar accused her of misconduct. Lozano has denied wrongdoing but permanently surrendered her law license. Federal data shows immigration service scams are rising, however Lozano’s alleged scheme stands out for its massive scale. She is accused of building an assembly-line system to churn through visa applications, hiring unlicensed staff abroad to provide legal advice.

Hong Kong authorities have charged seven people and two companies with offenses including manslaughter and conspiracy to defraud over the city's deadliest fire in decades. The blaze engulfed seven apartment buildings and killed 168 people. Authorities said Wednesday that police and the Independent Commission Against Corruption charged the suspects with 25 counts, including money laundering and tax evasion. The charges relate to a major renovation project at Wang Fuk Court. The seven defendants were brought to the court and told the judge that they understood the charges. Authorities said they included directors and a registered inspector of Will Power and Prestige’s directors. Lists of victims’ names were being read out, the first disclosure to the public.