While for most people such scams are not hard to spot for what they are, some senior citizens still swallow the bait and become victims. That is why fraudsters tend to target vulnerable senior citizens.

The old woman I met is also busy on the phone every day talking to salesmen from companies selling the "latest breakthroughs" in medicines that advertize in magazines.

There are also many sophisticated high-tech scams that infect people's smartphones or computers with Trojan viruses or other malware.

When something looks and sounds too good to be true, then it usually is. But the fact that con artists continue to use old, low-tech hoaxes shows they still work. For example, most people still receive emails from someone who promises to share a large amount of money if the potential victim sends a small up-front payment to help the person access it.

Being bombarded with news of various scams during my vacation in China this month, I have been wondering why such crimes are so rampant in our society compared with just a few decades ago.

Something seems wrong with the moral compass of society when swindling and counterfeiting permeates so many sectors, from hospitals, schools to corporations, both private and State-owned. When officials, business leaders, celebrities and other public figures fail to demonstrate their moral high ground in governance, business practice or private life, it hurts the public trust and moral fabric vital for a healthy society.

Sadly, trust has increasingly become a scarce commodity in our society.

There is no doubt that the Chinese public, especially those vulnerable senior citizens, should be better educated so they can identify scams. And tougher laws and stronger law enforcement should be meted out to those con artists in various disguise, whether from the Chinese mainland, Taiwan or other places.