A Cat and Mouse Game: How Cyberfraud Syndicates Evade Responsive Policing by Adapting Motivational Postures in China and the Golden Triangle

How have cyberfraud syndicates in China and the Golden Triangle adapted to intensified policing campaigns since 2023? Drawing on Braithwaite’s motivational postures theory, we examine three fraud typologies—concert ticket scams, airline refund fraud, and transnational kidnapping for ransom—mapped to their adaptive postures of tactical disengagement, tech-driven game-playing, and defiant resistance, which are used to evade responsive policing. In-depth interviews with 66 victims, police officers, chamber members, and informants reveal how cyberfraud syndicates exploit enforcement gaps and vulnerabilities in victims to evade detection and law enforcement campaigns. The study addresses a critical gap by bridging motivational posturing and responsive policing, underscoring the need for more effective enforcement strategies to counter cyberfraud syndicates’ efforts to evade detection and responsive policing.