Ivan Franceschini is a Lecturer in Chinese Studies at the Centre for Contemporary Chinese Studies, University of Melbourne. His research explores the intersections of globalisation, labour, and crime in the digital age, with a focus on the cyber-fraud industry. His latest books include Scam: Inside Southeast Asia’s Cybercrime Compounds (Verso, 2025) and Global China as Method (Cambridge University Press, 2022). He is the founder and co-editor-in-chief of the Made in China Journal, The People’s Map of Global China, and Global China Pulse.
This project challenges simplistic narratives that frame the online scam industry in Southeast Asia as a purely ‘Chinese’ phenomenon. Through mapping the diverse actors involved and analysing how the Chinese state has sought to rein in the industry, it aims to identify lessons for improving governance of ethnic Chinese transnational crime in the region.
