01-08-2025
World's Biggest Illicit Marketplace Becomes an ‘Amazon for Criminals'
The pings of new advertisements are relentless. Want fake currency? Money laundering services? Hacking technology? As long as you read Chinese and understand the underworld jargon — in which 'material masters' are holders of stolen money or banking information and 'dog pushers' are scam compound workers — all this and more is for sale in corners of the world's largest bazaar for illicit goods.
It's not hard to find. Postings are mainly in public chat rooms run by Huione Group, a Cambodian conglomerate that's a household name for the country's Chinese-speaking community, known for selling insurance, money exchange and financial services. Its online banking arm, Huione Pay, has referred to itself as the 'Alipay of Cambodia.' Bright red stickers with Huione QR codes used to make purchases are found in restaurants and corner stores.
