OP 15 December, 2024 - 02:52 AM
In Myanmar, 45 people have been detained on suspicion of participating in a major online fraud scheme in Shan State. During the raid, the police seized Starlink equipment, mobile phones and weapons. What measures will be applied to the detainees has not yet been specified. Among the detainees are also 18 Chinese citizens.
Residents of Tangyang, where law enforcement has been conducted, say gangs of fraudsters continue to operate despite arrests and raids by security services. Criminals often move from place to place to avoid confrontation with the police. After a series of detentions in late 2023, many of the groups moved to Tangyang from Pangsan District. Local residents note that scammers behave noticeably: they drive expensive cars and erect high fences around their houses, where they live and work at the same time.
Criminal operations are also active in the town of Musa on the border with China, which is under the control of the junta. According to eyewitnesses, some groups cooperate with local authorities, receiving protection from them.
Since 2023, China has intensified the fight against fraudulent schemes, cooperating with Thailand, Laos and Myanmar. During this time, more than 53,000 Chinese citizens suspected of such crimes were detained. In November, the head of the military government of Myanmar visited China, where he discussed the fight against cross-border crimes. However, locals believe that most of the arrests are carried out for show only to appease Beijing.
Against the background of the arrests, it became known about a girl from Laos, who has been held captive by scammers in Karen state for 2 years. She is forced to work 10-19 hours a day, and unsuccessful attempts at fraud are punishable by torture. The family of the captive asked for help, but it turned out to be almost impossible to return the girl from areas not controlled by the Myanmar authorities. According to human rights activists, dozens of Laotians are still working for fraudulent gangs in Myanmar, under tight control.
With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and the strengthening of border controls between China and Myanmar, ethnic groups began to master the digital illegal economy, switching from the sale of illegal substances. Online scams, including investment scams and financial extortion, have become a new source of income. Operations often involve casinos, where victims of human trafficking work in conditions close to slavery.
In February, it became known that the newly built KK Park "fraud factory" on the border of Myanmar and Thailand earned almost $100 million in less than 2 years. Employees of the factory are forced to engage in fraud such as The Pig Butchering Scam - a scam in which the fraudster enters the trust of the victim during online correspondence, and then fraudulently convinces him to make fictitious investments.
Recall that since the summer of 2023, China has been insistently demanding that the Myanmar authorities take tough measures against numerous enclaves of cyber fraudsters operating in border areas. The reason was a wave of fraud using the "pig butchering" scheme, the victims of which were Chinese citizens. The activities of criminal enclaves in the border areas of Myanmar relied on the use of forced labour of people smuggled there from neighbouring countries.
It should also be noted that the Coalition of Insurgent Groups in Myanmar did notavno successfully took control of the city of Laukkai, known as a major cyber fraud center in the region, which has plagued countries, including those bordering Myanmar. The rebel coalition has made clear its goal: to root out organized fraudulent operations that have been circulating under the watchful eye of local law enforcement officers loyal to the ruling junta.
Residents of Tangyang, where law enforcement has been conducted, say gangs of fraudsters continue to operate despite arrests and raids by security services. Criminals often move from place to place to avoid confrontation with the police. After a series of detentions in late 2023, many of the groups moved to Tangyang from Pangsan District. Local residents note that scammers behave noticeably: they drive expensive cars and erect high fences around their houses, where they live and work at the same time.
Criminal operations are also active in the town of Musa on the border with China, which is under the control of the junta. According to eyewitnesses, some groups cooperate with local authorities, receiving protection from them.
Since 2023, China has intensified the fight against fraudulent schemes, cooperating with Thailand, Laos and Myanmar. During this time, more than 53,000 Chinese citizens suspected of such crimes were detained. In November, the head of the military government of Myanmar visited China, where he discussed the fight against cross-border crimes. However, locals believe that most of the arrests are carried out for show only to appease Beijing.
Against the background of the arrests, it became known about a girl from Laos, who has been held captive by scammers in Karen state for 2 years. She is forced to work 10-19 hours a day, and unsuccessful attempts at fraud are punishable by torture. The family of the captive asked for help, but it turned out to be almost impossible to return the girl from areas not controlled by the Myanmar authorities. According to human rights activists, dozens of Laotians are still working for fraudulent gangs in Myanmar, under tight control.
With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and the strengthening of border controls between China and Myanmar, ethnic groups began to master the digital illegal economy, switching from the sale of illegal substances. Online scams, including investment scams and financial extortion, have become a new source of income. Operations often involve casinos, where victims of human trafficking work in conditions close to slavery.
In February, it became known that the newly built KK Park "fraud factory" on the border of Myanmar and Thailand earned almost $100 million in less than 2 years. Employees of the factory are forced to engage in fraud such as The Pig Butchering Scam - a scam in which the fraudster enters the trust of the victim during online correspondence, and then fraudulently convinces him to make fictitious investments.
Recall that since the summer of 2023, China has been insistently demanding that the Myanmar authorities take tough measures against numerous enclaves of cyber fraudsters operating in border areas. The reason was a wave of fraud using the "pig butchering" scheme, the victims of which were Chinese citizens. The activities of criminal enclaves in the border areas of Myanmar relied on the use of forced labour of people smuggled there from neighbouring countries.
It should also be noted that the Coalition of Insurgent Groups in Myanmar did notavno successfully took control of the city of Laukkai, known as a major cyber fraud center in the region, which has plagued countries, including those bordering Myanmar. The rebel coalition has made clear its goal: to root out organized fraudulent operations that have been circulating under the watchful eye of local law enforcement officers loyal to the ruling junta.