由 jpichiban 
英国广播公司（BBC）的调查发现，中国骗子利用马恩岛的监管漏洞，在岛上的酒店和前银行办公室设立诈骗中心，以“杀猪盘”的方式骗取中国受害者，金额高达数百万美元。这些骗子利用网络聊天软件QQ，以假投资“导师”和虚假投资者身份，诱骗受害者投资于由他们控制的平台，从而将资金骗走。调查还发现，该骗局的幕后策划者是名叫比尔·摩根（梁凌飞）的中国公民，他利用马恩岛的投资签证，在岛上设立多家公司，并计划建造一座宏伟的办公大楼。目前，马恩岛警方已介入调查，并采取措施封锁了该集团的资金和业务。
Original Title: “杀猪盘”陷阱：马恩岛上的中国骗徒跨越千山万水寻觅监管漏洞
Summary: BBC International Channel’s investigation found that a seaside hotel and former bank office on the Isle of Man were used by a scam gang to defraud Chinese victims of millions of dollars.
We learned that dozens of Chinese employees flocked to the Seaview Hotel in Douglas, their computers connected to high-speed broadband, and the hotel’s kitchen was equipped with special wok.
According to Chinese court documents, the scam took place between January 2022 and January 2023, and the scam gang used the “pig slaughtering” method. This metaphor refers to gaining the trust of the victim by “fattening the pig”, which is the key to the success of the scam.
BBC spent nearly a year investigating how this investment scam was carried out on the Isle of Man. The Isle of Man is a British Crown Dependency with its own self-governing government.
We also discovered other details, such as how the bosses ambitiously wanted to build a state-of-the-art office building overlooking the Irish Sea.
In addition to obtaining court documents, we have also evaluated leaked documents and spoken to company insiders.
A former employee, who asked to be known as Jordan, told us he had no idea he was entering a shady world when he arrived on the Isle of Man. He said he was relieved to have found a stable administrative job.
However, he noticed that his new employer seemed rather mysterious. For example, he and his colleagues were banned from taking photos at company social events. He said he didn’t realize that many of his Chinese colleagues were actually scammers.
By the end of 2021, nearly 100 people had arrived on the Isle of Man to work for a company called “MIC” in Chinese court documents. These people were from the Philippines and had previously worked for another scam company. The BBC discovered that MIC stands for Manx Internet Commerce.
On the Isle of Man, MIC is part of a group of affiliated companies, all owned by the same person.
One of the best known is an online casino operated by King Gaming Ltd. Gambling is illegal in mainland China. By setting up a company on the other side of the world, the group’s founder could attract Chinese customers, while also taking advantage of the Isle of Man’s lower gambling taxes.
After working at the Seaview Hotel in Douglas for several months, MIC employees moved to a former bank office east of the city.
Jordan said he could hear the cheers of his new colleagues, who worked in groups of four. He now believes they were celebrating their success in defrauding new victims some 5,000 miles away.
Six people who had worked for MIC in Douglas were convicted of participating in investment scams targeting Chinese citizens upon their return to China.
These cases, which went to trial in late 2023, detailed the operation of the illegal flow of funds. Chinese court documents show that the victims were lured into participating by the defendants and their accomplices based in the Isle of Man and the Philippines.
They say that the defendants would form teams to draw Chinese investors into QQ chat groups. This is a popular Chinese chat app, similar to WhatsApp. One of the scammers would play the role of the investment “mentor”, while the other scammers would pretend to be investors.
Evidence seen by the BBC, including court documents, shows that many of the people who came to Douglas via the Philippines were involved in the scam. They all used the same computer equipment and relied on QQ for their scams. Everyone had the same job title, except for a few managers.
The Chinese court found that these fake investors would create a sense of worship and excitement around the “mentor’s” profit-making skills, and then the “mentor” would ask victims to invest in a particular investment platform.
Under this dazzling propaganda, the victims meekly complied. But their funds were withdrawn by the scammers, as these platforms were actually controlled by the scam gang and could be manipulated behind the scenes.
The Chinese court said it was difficult to verify the total losses of the victims, but the court said that at least 12 victims had been defrauded for a total of 38.87 million yuan (£4.17 million/$5.3 million).
Based on evidence including the defendants’ own confessions, travel and financial records, and chat logs, the court found the six defendants guilty.
Court documents describe it as a lucrative and sophisticated scam that requires a front-line team to carry out the “pig slaughtering” strategy with persuasive skills and techniques.
The BBC has uncovered the identity of the sole beneficiary of these companies, whose name is hidden behind layers of administrative paperwork.
MIC and its affiliated companies are all held by a trust fund set up by a man named Bill Morgan, who is also known as Liang Lingfei (Liang Lingfei, transliteration), according to documents. Jordan said employees called him “Boss Liang”.
Chinese court documents mention that a man named Liang Lingfei was a co-founder of MIC on the Isle of Man, which is described as “a fairly stable criminal organization established to carry out fraudulent activities”. Liang Lingfei was not charged and did not appear in court.
The court said that Liang Lingfei was also one of the co-founders of the scam organization in the Philippines. Evidence seen by the BBC suggests that many MIC employees worked there before being transferred to the Isle of Man.
Our investigation also found that Liang Lingfei obtained an investment visa to the Isle of Man and attended company events on the island on multiple occasions. His wife also owns a property in Ballasalla, a town near the Isle of Man Airport.
These affiliated companies on the Isle of Man have ambitious plans, and at the end of last year they signed a planning agreement to build a spectacular “green park” headquarters on the site of a former naval training base. A developer spokesman said it was the “largest single private investment on the Isle of Man”.
Architects’ images show the office building perched on a small hill overlooking the Douglas waterfront. Inside there will be penthouses, a spa, multiple bars and a karaoke lounge.
Planning documents state that the park will be available to MIC employees and those who work for MIC “affiliates”, including those involved in online gambling.
The global annual revenue of the “pig slaughtering” industry is estimated to be over $60 billion (£46.5 billion).
“This is the first case we’ve seen of such a (pig slaughtering) scam park being established in a Western country,” said Masood Karimipour, a UN expert on organized crime.
He said that trying to stop these scams is like a “game of whack-a-mole”, and in this battle “organized crime is currently winning”, because criminals are engaging in what he calls “jurisdiction shopping” where they believe there are legal loopholes and a lack of oversight.
Today, any ambitions of these companies on the Isle of Man, legal or otherwise, seem to have come to an end.
In April, police raided the former bank office. Police also locked down an address next to the Isle of Man Courthouse, entering through a first-floor window using ladders in the early hours of the morning.
In a statement released shortly afterwards, police said the raid was related to a wider fraud and money laundering investigation involving King Gaming Ltd IOM. Police added that seven people had been arrested and bailed.
Three more people were reportedly arrested later.
At the request of the Attorney General of the Isle of Man, administrators were appointed to the group’s companies, including MIC and King Gaming Ltd IOM, earlier this month.
The Isle of Man’s gambling regulator has revoked the licenses of MIC’s gambling-related companies.
The trees in the Green Park have been cleared and signs have been erected, but the redevelopment project has been put on hold indefinitely.
The BBC has made multiple attempts to contact the companies, as well as Bill Morgan (Liang Lingfei) and company directors, through various forms of communication, but has received no response.
We also tried to contact the Seaview Hotel, but received no response, although there is no indication that the hotel staff were aware of the illegal activity taking place on their premises.
Original article: https://www.bbc.com/zhongwen/simp/world-69288124?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=KARANGA