Chinese criminals have made more than $1 billion from scam text messages sent out across the U.S. and the world. The texts warn of unpaid fines and lure unsuspecting victims to fork over their credit-card details. WSJ’s Robert McMillan explains how the scheme works and why it’s been so hard to stop. Jessica Mendoza hosts. Further Listening: Pig-Butchering: A Texting Scam With a Crypto Twist The Slaves Sending You Scam Texts Sign up for WSJ’s free What’s News newsletter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
No persons identified in this episode.
This episode hasn't been transcribed yet
Help us prioritize this episode for transcription by upvoting it.
Popular episodes get transcribed faster
Other episodes from The Journal.
Transcribed and ready to explore now
Medicare, Inc. Part 1: How Insurers Make Billions From Medicare
06 Jun 2025
The Journal.
Deportations Could Upend This Parachute Factory
05 Jun 2025
The Journal.
The Struggle to Get Aid Into Gaza
04 Jun 2025
The Journal.
The Everyday American Who Hustled for North Korea
03 Jun 2025
The Journal.
Stop Making Cents: The End of the Penny
02 Jun 2025
The Journal.
Ron Howard and Brian Grazer on Longevity in Hollywood
01 Jun 2025
The Journal.