Prosecutors uncover marriage‑for‑money scheme and more

La Liga offers cash for piracy tip‑offs

The Spanish football league has launched a new initiative offering a 50 euro ($59) reward to anyone who reports bars, restaurants, betting shops or similar venues that illegally show La Liga matches without the required commercial subscription.

To help fans identify unauthorized broadcasts, legally licensed feeds display a small identifying letter on the screen, and tip‑offs can be submitted with photos via email or through an anonymous reporting channel. The league says the program is part of its broader, ongoing campaign against audiovisual piracy (unauthorized copying, distribution or sharing of audiovisual works), an area in which La Liga has been one of Europe’s most aggressive enforcers. Spain recorded more than 7.33 billion illegal views of digital content in 2024, reversing a decade of decline.

Cambodia hands over 73 suspected scam operators to South Korea

Cambodia has agreed to send 73 South Korean nationals back to Seoul, Korea, after they were detained for allegedly running large‑scale online scam operations in the country. According to South Korean officials, the group reportedly defrauded victims of roughly 48.6 billion won (about $33 million) and will face investigation upon arrival. Their repatriation is part of a wider crackdown involving approximately 260 Koreans held in Cambodia.

Public outrage in South Korea over scam compounds in Southeast Asia flared up after a Korean student, 22-year-old Park Min-ho, was found dead in Cambodia in August 2025. He’d allegedly told his relatives he was traveling to Cambodia in July to take part in an exhibition. But soon after he arrived, a criminal group abducted him, forced him to work in a scam center and demanded a ransom of $35,000, according to South Korean news reports. Authorities said he died of cardiac arrest after being tortured and beaten.

Customs fraud ring exposed at Port of Antwerp

The European Public Prosecutor’s Office has uncovered a major customs fraud and corruption scheme at the Port of Antwerp in Belgium. A customs official and two company managers allegedly manipulated import procedures to evade more than 11.3 million euros (about $13.4 million) in duties. As part of Investigation Steamboat, authorities carried out seven raids, arrested three suspects, and seized bank accounts and cash in January. Belgian police units and the Dutch Fiscal Information and Investigation Service provided support.

The probe was launched in 2024 after a complaint from Belgian customs authorities. Investigators reportedly discovered that customs processes had been tampered with, but they haven’t yet disclosed what kinds of goods were involved, how the scheme operated or whether it connects to any other ongoing cases within the EU. The investigation is ongoing.

11 charged in nationwide sham‑marriage ring targeting U.S. Navy

Federal prosecutors have charged 11 people in a nationwide scheme that allegedly paid U.S. service members to enter sham marriages with Chinese nationals, helping them obtain immigration status. According to the indictment, ringleader Anny Chen recruited Navy personnel, including U.S. Navy service member Raymond Zumba, who was paid $10,000 to marry a Chinese woman. Chen allegedly persuaded Zumba to recruit other Navy cadets to enter sham marriages with Chinese nationals. Chen and 10 other defendants are charged with marriage fraud conspiracy, which carries a maximum sentence of five years.

The group is also accused of attempting to secure fraudulent military identity cards for the foreign spouses, potentially granting them access to military bases and benefits. Multiple sham weddings took place across Florida, New York, Connecticut and Nevada between 2024 and early 2025. Zumba and three former Navy service members have all pleaded guilty to bribery charges related to the scheme. Zumba faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in federal prison.

Crystal Zuzek is associate editor of Fraud Magazine. Contact her at czuzek@acfe.com.