"US-based gig workers unknowingly use the compromised accounts" - yeah, someone asks you to buy iPhones with an Apple/Google wallet they provide. And then send those iPhones to China. The "unknowing" part of this sure does the heavy lifting in feigning ignorance that this was a money laundering scheme.
China-based gangs reportedly stole over $1 billion from Americans using advanced smishing scams that exploit SIM farms and mobile wallets. Here is how the cross-border scheme operates and what you can do to protect yourself.