From a Glorious Dream to a Haunted Ghost Town
When Chinese developers announced Forest City in 2016, the 14‑sq‑km island off Johor’s coast was marketed as a futuristic, eco‑friendly metropolis that could host 700,000 residents. The promise of green spaces, water‑parks and a high‑speed transit system drew investors with the slogan “a dream paradise for all mankind.” Yet, a decade later, only a handful of apartments are inhabited, and the complex resembles a 3‑D printed skeleton of ambition.
The Skeleton Morphs into a Scam Hub
Mid‑July, Johor police raided 32 premises across Forest City, arresting 335 people—most of them Chinese nationals—and seizing equipment worth about one million ringgit ($245,000). Two call‑centre hubs were uncovered: one occupies 27 apartments on five storeys of a residential tower, the other spreads across five bungalows. These sites operated crypto‑based investment and love scams, preying on victims overseas.
Police chief Ab Rahaman Arsad said the authorities will work with Interpol to trace the mastermind behind the syndicates. According to investigation firm TRM Labs, such operations are now run with dedicated recruitment teams, IT departments, and money‑laundering specialists—more like multinational firms than mere gangs.
Why a Ghost City Invites Crime
A ghost city offers a perfect lure for scammers: vacant buildings, modern infrastructure, and international connectivity that can disguise illicit activity as legitimate business. It also creates economic shadow play, where operators gain significant profit while obscuring their criminality.
Experts note that many of those running Forest City’s scam centres were previously involved in Cambodia’s notorious transnational scam industry—a nerve centre that has dried up in recent years but still feeds the global crime market.
Environmental Waste Amid the Crime Wave
The failure to populate Forest City has left vast amounts of built‑up land and infrastructure unused, contributing to wasted material resources and energy consumption. Even everyday services like lighting and building maintenance continue to operate, pumping carbon into the air despite zero occupants.
With less than 1% of the promised 700,000 residents actually living there, the complex acts as a stark reminder that over‑ambitious urban projects can undermine sustainable development goals: they waste precious land, generate excess construction waste, and create a carbon‑heavy inert skyline.
Voices from Within
Kevin, a resident who sells property in Forest City, said: “We already have 23,000 residents living in this area,” a statement he claimed was a lie. He added that scammers still operate within his condominium, but he dismissed the issue, focusing only on his salary.
Philip, a tech worker who moved from Singapore for cheaper property, shared: “I was not surprised when I heard about the scam centres. What shocked me is the number of people moving to Forest City. The lights are on now, but I still see it as a ghost town.”
The Bigger Picture: Sustainable Urban Planning
Forest City’s collapse underscores the challenges of ensuring that large‑scale projects are resilient. While the initial vision was to build a self‑sustaining smart city, reality shows that without a steady economic base and community, the development can become a silent attractor for illicit activity.
Sustainable urban planning must therefore incorporate safeguards against venturing into empty, uninhabited zones. Programs that support occupation, renewable energy use, and environmental monitoring can help prevent the emergent “ghost city” syndrome that leads to wasted resources and climate harm.
The police raid, while winning the immediate battle against scammers, also offers a warning. A coordinated approach that blends law enforcement, community outreach, and environmental stewardship is essential for turning abandoned projects into living, thriving communities that respect climate and sustainability metrics.
