A global wake-up call to organized fraud
UNODC
Bangkok (Thailand), 17 March 2026 –The Sawyers were never really interested in volatile investing. As their retirement age approached, the idea of a low-risk investment for their pension seemed attractive. But one day, after clicking on a seemingly legitimate online advert that offered a reasonable risk-averse plan, they unlocked a process that would lead them to lose over USD 2.5 million. “The scammer was extraordinarily believable,” Kim Sawyer, former university professor in Melbourne, said. “He had a British accent, used all the right financial market terms and knew how to induce us by appearing credible every time.”
