A single mother from China went to Cambodia last year in search of her missing 19-year-old son, Ye Wenbin, and publicly appealed to the Chinese ambassador, Wang Wenbin, for help. However, she was unable to find her son and returned to China, where she was reportedly restricted from leaving the country. Recently, the authorities announced that Ye Wenbin had voluntarily crossed the border to Cambodia to make quick money through illegal means. After being released from a fraud ring, he returned to China and was detained. However, netizens have questioned the official explanation.
Several Chinese media outlets reported at the end of last year that a woman named Fei from Shangrao City, Jiangxi Province, claimed that her son Ye Wenbin left home at the end of July under the pretext of “going to Nanchang to play with classmates.” His journey took him through Yunnan, Guangxi, and ultimately led to Cambodia, but his exact whereabouts remained unknown.
Fei stated that her son was sold to a fraud ring, and she saw information about her injured son on social media. She flew to Cambodia and sought help from the Chinese Ambassador, Wang Wenbin. Since the Chinese government was accused of supporting fraud rings in Cambodia, victims sought Wang Wenbin’s assistance to rescue people, sparking controversy.
On January 19th this year, the Lead Mountain County Public Security Bureau in Shangrao, Jiangxi, reported that “Ye Wenbin has been arrested upon returning to the country.”
The report claimed that Ye Wenbin and his companion “voluntarily engaged in fraud in Cambodia” and were able to move freely within the fraud ring but could not leave the area at will. Subsequently, the fraud ring “escorted” the two individuals out, and they were caught at the Guangxi border on January 16th for “illegal border crossing” and “engaging in fraud,” leading to their criminal detention by the police.
The report also stated that Fei had traveled to Cambodia to search for her son from December 5, 2025, to January 4, 2026, and returned to China when her visa expired on January 5, 2026. Claims of being “deported back to China” or “restricted from leaving the country” were labeled as “rumors.”
On January 19th, the Chinese Embassy in Cambodia announced that the missing Chinese citizen named Ye was found on January 16th.
According to the official Chinese news magazine, they learned from sources in Cambodia that Ye Wenbin had indeed been trapped in a fraud ring in Cambodia but was reportedly safe without severe injuries. Allegedly, some fraud rings in Cambodia have opened their doors, allowing individuals to choose to stay or leave on their own, with no more restrictions on their movement.
Chinese netizens have varying opinions on the official report. Some posts echoed the official explanation, criticizing Ye Wenbin’s mother for misleading people. However, others expressed skepticism, believing that Ye Wenbin was still a victim and that his return was a result of his mother’s efforts to raise awareness of his situation.
So far, no official photos of Ye Wenbin’s arrest have been released, and the case details are only presented unilaterally by the authorities.
On overseas forums, some netizens expressed doubts regarding the official account. They suggested that China’s fraud rings were not limited to mere scams but also involved horrifying crimes such as kidnapping, abuse, and organ harvesting. The netizens claimed that the Chinese government deceived and coerced Ye Wenbin into the fraud ring, intending to extort ransom or harvest his organs. This manipulation was portrayed as a political conspiracy by the Chinese government.
As one netizen put it, “As expected, the narrative quickly shifted, with the blame now being placed on Ye Wenbin’s mother by the Chinese government. They now claim Ye Wenbin was involved in fraud, but it’s evident that the situation was too big, he happened to survive, so they released him and shifted the blame. This makes the young nationalists believe that the Chinese government is faultless, and the problem lies with the dissidents.”
A person who was previously rescued from a fraud ring shared that individuals in the ring were coerced into committing fraud. Those who failed to meet their daily targets faced physical punishment, including beatings with iron rods causing severe injuries, and even electric shocks. Those who didn’t generate enough income through fraud or were deemed useless were sold off. If no fraud ring wanted them, they were sold to medical ships in international waters for organ harvesting.