Actor Wang Xingtai's disappearance at the Myanmar border: Border fraud gang targets the film and television industry
2025 01/13
On the evening of January 5, 2025, a netizen claiming to be Jia Jia, the girlfriend of Wang Xing (actor), posted on Weibo that Wang Xing went missing at the Thai Myanmar border around noon Beijing time on January 3 after joining a filming group in Thailand. Afterwards, the Chinese Embassy in Thailand and Consulate General in Chiang Mai urgently activated emergency plans and contacted relevant agencies such as the Thai police and immigration bureau. The Thai police immediately established a special task force to conduct a comprehensive investigation and cooperated with the Myanmar police and relevant law enforcement departments to search and rescue. On January 7th, the Chinese Embassy in Thailand released the latest update on the Wang Xing incident, confirming that he was successfully rescued on the afternoon of the 7th local time. This incident has sparked widespread attention and discussion.
Based on the information revealed by Wang Xing and some actors who claim to have experienced similar situations, the "claws" of fraud gangs have reached the cognitive blind spots of many people, and the victims of fraud have also shifted from ordinary migrant workers to professional groups such as actors and engineers.
1、 Beware of overseas' fake film crew scams'
Nowadays, various industries are in chaos, and fraud gangs are no exception. They not only use "overseas high salary scams" to trap many ordinary migrant workers, but also transform "overseas high salary scams" into "crew scams", targeting specific professional groups. Overseas electronic fraudsters use the film and television industry as a target for fraud, impersonating casting directors to infiltrate various film and television industry groups, actor groups, and post false recruitment information for actors, coordinators, and station reporters. These group messages disguise themselves as overseas film and television crews in Dubai or Thailand, attempting to exploit the desire of practitioners for job opportunities and engage in criminal activities to enrich themselves. They are extremely deceptive. If they are lured overseas with low vigilance, they will not only lose their personal freedom, but may even be forced to engage in illegal activities such as telecommunications fraud.
It can be seen that there are no "outsiders" in the face of fraud risks. Scammers are able to tailor different scams for different professions, which is very "professional". Therefore, our anti fraud awareness also needs to be constantly updated, and we need to be alert to the endless scams. Anyway, the Wang Xing incident has taught people a real-life 'anti fraud lesson', and we hope that the spine chilling real-life version of 'All in One' will no longer be staged.
2、 The Wang Xing incident serves as a warning to the film and television industry
From the experiences of actors such as Wang Xing, what we see is not only personal tragedy, but also the enormous challenges faced by the industry. In today's era of advanced information, fraud methods are constantly upgrading, and the film and television industry, as a popular field, has naturally become a prey for scammers. The Wang Xing incident also brought some warnings to the film and television industry.
On the one hand, for actors, they need to maintain a high level of vigilance, constantly enhance their safety and legal awareness, and try not to choose overseas crews. Even if they really want to choose overseas crews, they must carefully distinguish between authenticity, check the qualifications of the publisher, whether the information details are reasonable, whether the crew information is published on the official platform, verify the authenticity of the crew background, filming location, and contract terms, and can also inquire with reliable friends or colleagues around them to avoid acting alone; If you receive a job invitation through the internet or unfamiliar channels, you need to be particularly cautious. Do not trust strangers or unfamiliar places easily, and never let personal pursuits become stepping stones and tools for criminals to profit.
On the other hand, in terms of the film and television industry, the experiences of actors such as Wang Xing have exposed problems such as chaos in intermediaries and regulatory loopholes within the industry. Industry associations should play an active guiding role, while regulatory authorities need to strengthen supervision by establishing information sharing platforms to improve information transparency (such as standardized and transparent casting processes), strengthening the review of overseas filming invitation information, guiding, supervising, and managing the professional behavior of actors, directors, etc., establishing a sound cross-border filming safety guarantee mechanism, organizing relevant legal training for actors, so that actors can pursue their dreams in a safer and more standardized working environment.
The Wang Xing incident is a microcosm of the ecology of the film and television industry. In recent years, the film and television industry has been sluggish, leading to a large number of actors facing the dilemma of having no scenes to shoot. Scammers are well versed in human nature and seize the urgent need for job opportunities among lower level actors, thus setting traps. With the smooth resolution of this incident, how to better balance the internationalization of the film and television industry with the safe employment of actors will become an important issue for the development of the industry. I hope that the exposure of this incident can attract the attention and importance of the industry and society, promote the formulation and improvement of relevant systems and norms, create a safe working environment for actors, and promote the healthy development of the film and television industry.
3、 Legal issues behind the event
1. The international spread of telecommunications network fraud has spawned a series of illegal and criminal acts such as illegal immigration, online gambling, human trafficking, kidnapping, and illegal detention, which have seriously affected the personal and property safety of people in various countries.
Previously, Thai media confirmed that Wang Xing was a victim of human trafficking. According to relevant interviews, Wang Xing was taken to the Thai Myanmar border, entered a building in a certain park, shaved his head, and received two to three days of fraud training. Imagine if Wang Xing hadn't been rescued, he would have had to rely on deceiving others to survive.
Thinking of the movie "All in One", highly educated programmer Pan Sheng is attracted by high paying overseas recruitment to go abroad for gold, but unexpectedly falls into a scam trap. Model Liang Anna is tempted by the "high salary" and is deceived into joining a scam factory overseas. She cooperates with a telecommunications fraud gang to reveal "insider information" to the victims under the identity of a "beautiful dealer", luring them to transfer money and place bets, causing many families to be torn apart. A Tian jumped off a building and committed suicide due to falling into the abyss of online gambling. There is also the Thai drama 'Tisha's Resistance and Rebirth', in which laborers who were deceived and smuggled into Thailand realize they have been deceived and try to resist.
Reality is often more terrifying than movies and TV shows. Wang Xing's experience has revealed the tip of the iceberg of cross-border fraud for us. The part hidden underwater is the fragmentation of countless families, the shattering of dreams, and the turbulence of social order. It is a severe test of the international community's rule of law, humanity, and spirit of cooperation.
Overseas is not a lawless place. We believe that by strengthening public propaganda and education, taking preventive measures, actively carrying out international law enforcement cooperation, improving the strength and efficiency of cracking down on governance, and cracking down on overseas telecommunications fraud and domestic coordinated criminals in accordance with the law, telecommunications fraud will have nowhere to hide.
Can Chinese criminal law hold overseas criminal gangs criminally responsible?
According to the provisions of Article 8 of the Criminal Law on the protection of jurisdiction: "This Law may be applicable to foreigners who commit crimes against the State or citizens of the People's Republic of China outside the territory of the People's Republic of China, and the minimum punishment prescribed in this Law is fixed-term imprisonment of more than three years, except for those who are not punished according to the laws of the place where the crime is committed", China's criminal law has jurisdiction over criminal groups outside the country. In December 2024, the People's Procuratorate of Wenzhou City prosecuted 39 members of the Mingjia Criminal Group and affiliated criminal groups who had long been stationed in Kokang, northern Myanmar and relied on armed forces to commit crimes such as telecommunications and network fraud against Chinese citizens. According to relevant provisions of the Criminal Law and Criminal Procedure Law, they were charged with multiple crimes including fraud and intentional homicide in accordance with the law and brought to the Wenzhou Intermediate People's Court. Prosecuting the criminal activities of the Mingjia criminal group in accordance with the law is an important manifestation of exercising China's judicial sovereignty in accordance with the law.
Of course, how can the film and television industry balance the safety and development of actors while pursuing commercial interests and artistic innovation? The methods and routines of electronic fraud are constantly evolving. How can the ideas and methods of preventing and combating fraud be innovated? Criminal judicial assistance between countries is currently an important means to effectively combat cross-border fraud. In addition to existing cooperation methods, what new avenues of cooperation can be explored? Still a topic worth exploring.
At the public level, we do not need to demonize Thailand and Myanmar, as cross-border fraud not only exists in Thailand and Myanmar, but we should also strengthen our attention to the safety of working and traveling abroad. Whether it is a commercial performance, filming, or tourism, one should make sufficient preparations before going abroad, understand the laws and regulations, customs, and safety status of the destination, and ensure personal and property safety.
Based on the information revealed by Wang Xing and some actors who claim to have experienced similar situations, the "claws" of fraud gangs have reached the cognitive blind spots of many people, and the victims of fraud have also shifted from ordinary migrant workers to professional groups such as actors and engineers.
1、 Beware of overseas' fake film crew scams'
Nowadays, various industries are in chaos, and fraud gangs are no exception. They not only use "overseas high salary scams" to trap many ordinary migrant workers, but also transform "overseas high salary scams" into "crew scams", targeting specific professional groups. Overseas electronic fraudsters use the film and television industry as a target for fraud, impersonating casting directors to infiltrate various film and television industry groups, actor groups, and post false recruitment information for actors, coordinators, and station reporters. These group messages disguise themselves as overseas film and television crews in Dubai or Thailand, attempting to exploit the desire of practitioners for job opportunities and engage in criminal activities to enrich themselves. They are extremely deceptive. If they are lured overseas with low vigilance, they will not only lose their personal freedom, but may even be forced to engage in illegal activities such as telecommunications fraud.
It can be seen that there are no "outsiders" in the face of fraud risks. Scammers are able to tailor different scams for different professions, which is very "professional". Therefore, our anti fraud awareness also needs to be constantly updated, and we need to be alert to the endless scams. Anyway, the Wang Xing incident has taught people a real-life 'anti fraud lesson', and we hope that the spine chilling real-life version of 'All in One' will no longer be staged.
2、 The Wang Xing incident serves as a warning to the film and television industry
From the experiences of actors such as Wang Xing, what we see is not only personal tragedy, but also the enormous challenges faced by the industry. In today's era of advanced information, fraud methods are constantly upgrading, and the film and television industry, as a popular field, has naturally become a prey for scammers. The Wang Xing incident also brought some warnings to the film and television industry.
On the one hand, for actors, they need to maintain a high level of vigilance, constantly enhance their safety and legal awareness, and try not to choose overseas crews. Even if they really want to choose overseas crews, they must carefully distinguish between authenticity, check the qualifications of the publisher, whether the information details are reasonable, whether the crew information is published on the official platform, verify the authenticity of the crew background, filming location, and contract terms, and can also inquire with reliable friends or colleagues around them to avoid acting alone; If you receive a job invitation through the internet or unfamiliar channels, you need to be particularly cautious. Do not trust strangers or unfamiliar places easily, and never let personal pursuits become stepping stones and tools for criminals to profit.
On the other hand, in terms of the film and television industry, the experiences of actors such as Wang Xing have exposed problems such as chaos in intermediaries and regulatory loopholes within the industry. Industry associations should play an active guiding role, while regulatory authorities need to strengthen supervision by establishing information sharing platforms to improve information transparency (such as standardized and transparent casting processes), strengthening the review of overseas filming invitation information, guiding, supervising, and managing the professional behavior of actors, directors, etc., establishing a sound cross-border filming safety guarantee mechanism, organizing relevant legal training for actors, so that actors can pursue their dreams in a safer and more standardized working environment.
The Wang Xing incident is a microcosm of the ecology of the film and television industry. In recent years, the film and television industry has been sluggish, leading to a large number of actors facing the dilemma of having no scenes to shoot. Scammers are well versed in human nature and seize the urgent need for job opportunities among lower level actors, thus setting traps. With the smooth resolution of this incident, how to better balance the internationalization of the film and television industry with the safe employment of actors will become an important issue for the development of the industry. I hope that the exposure of this incident can attract the attention and importance of the industry and society, promote the formulation and improvement of relevant systems and norms, create a safe working environment for actors, and promote the healthy development of the film and television industry.
3、 Legal issues behind the event
1. The international spread of telecommunications network fraud has spawned a series of illegal and criminal acts such as illegal immigration, online gambling, human trafficking, kidnapping, and illegal detention, which have seriously affected the personal and property safety of people in various countries.
Previously, Thai media confirmed that Wang Xing was a victim of human trafficking. According to relevant interviews, Wang Xing was taken to the Thai Myanmar border, entered a building in a certain park, shaved his head, and received two to three days of fraud training. Imagine if Wang Xing hadn't been rescued, he would have had to rely on deceiving others to survive.
Thinking of the movie "All in One", highly educated programmer Pan Sheng is attracted by high paying overseas recruitment to go abroad for gold, but unexpectedly falls into a scam trap. Model Liang Anna is tempted by the "high salary" and is deceived into joining a scam factory overseas. She cooperates with a telecommunications fraud gang to reveal "insider information" to the victims under the identity of a "beautiful dealer", luring them to transfer money and place bets, causing many families to be torn apart. A Tian jumped off a building and committed suicide due to falling into the abyss of online gambling. There is also the Thai drama 'Tisha's Resistance and Rebirth', in which laborers who were deceived and smuggled into Thailand realize they have been deceived and try to resist.
Reality is often more terrifying than movies and TV shows. Wang Xing's experience has revealed the tip of the iceberg of cross-border fraud for us. The part hidden underwater is the fragmentation of countless families, the shattering of dreams, and the turbulence of social order. It is a severe test of the international community's rule of law, humanity, and spirit of cooperation.
Overseas is not a lawless place. We believe that by strengthening public propaganda and education, taking preventive measures, actively carrying out international law enforcement cooperation, improving the strength and efficiency of cracking down on governance, and cracking down on overseas telecommunications fraud and domestic coordinated criminals in accordance with the law, telecommunications fraud will have nowhere to hide.
Can Chinese criminal law hold overseas criminal gangs criminally responsible?
According to the provisions of Article 8 of the Criminal Law on the protection of jurisdiction: "This Law may be applicable to foreigners who commit crimes against the State or citizens of the People's Republic of China outside the territory of the People's Republic of China, and the minimum punishment prescribed in this Law is fixed-term imprisonment of more than three years, except for those who are not punished according to the laws of the place where the crime is committed", China's criminal law has jurisdiction over criminal groups outside the country. In December 2024, the People's Procuratorate of Wenzhou City prosecuted 39 members of the Mingjia Criminal Group and affiliated criminal groups who had long been stationed in Kokang, northern Myanmar and relied on armed forces to commit crimes such as telecommunications and network fraud against Chinese citizens. According to relevant provisions of the Criminal Law and Criminal Procedure Law, they were charged with multiple crimes including fraud and intentional homicide in accordance with the law and brought to the Wenzhou Intermediate People's Court. Prosecuting the criminal activities of the Mingjia criminal group in accordance with the law is an important manifestation of exercising China's judicial sovereignty in accordance with the law.
Of course, how can the film and television industry balance the safety and development of actors while pursuing commercial interests and artistic innovation? The methods and routines of electronic fraud are constantly evolving. How can the ideas and methods of preventing and combating fraud be innovated? Criminal judicial assistance between countries is currently an important means to effectively combat cross-border fraud. In addition to existing cooperation methods, what new avenues of cooperation can be explored? Still a topic worth exploring.
At the public level, we do not need to demonize Thailand and Myanmar, as cross-border fraud not only exists in Thailand and Myanmar, but we should also strengthen our attention to the safety of working and traveling abroad. Whether it is a commercial performance, filming, or tourism, one should make sufficient preparations before going abroad, understand the laws and regulations, customs, and safety status of the destination, and ensure personal and property safety.
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