Chinese and Myanmar police forces have jointly enforced the law, successfully "completely eradicated" the large-scale telecom fraud parks near the Chinese border in Northern Myanmar. This action marks significant achievements in combating cross-border telecom fraud by both countries.
Since last year, when China's Ministry of Public Security initiated a special operation to combat telecom network fraud crimes involving China in Northern Myanmar, the two sides have captured more than 53,000 Chinese nationals suspected of fraud through police cooperation and a series of joint actions.
The strong crackdown and deterrence by Chinese police have forced many suspects to move their activities to deeper areas in Myanmar such as Wan Hai, Tangyan, and Myawaddy, continuing to recruit and deceive people within China to illegally exit the country and participate in telecom fraud crimes.
Moreover, the derivative activities of telecom fraud have become more severe, including illegal detention, intentional injury, and even violent crimes such as kidnapping and murder. The renewed cooperation between Chinese and Myanmar police marks a new phase in the anti-fraud struggle.
On November 17, Chinese and Myanmar police successfully captured 1079 suspects involved in cross-border telecom fraud in the Tangyan area of Myanmar, including 763 Chinese nationals. The investigation also revealed 69 fugitives, whose evidence and cases were transferred to the Chinese police for further processing on November 19.
In recent years, organized fraud groups from China in the Northern Myanmar region have wildly conducted cross-border telecom fraud through the internet and telecommunications, posing a serious threat to global internet users. According to the FBI's "2023 Internet Crime Report," there were over 17,000 complaints about trust or romance scams in the US alone, with total losses reaching $652 million.
The US Institute of Peace (USIP) report indicates that organized crime groups from China along the Thai-Myanmar border are threatening global users through online scams and financial fraud, activities that are also accompanied by human trafficking, involving a large number of "cyber slaves" in crimes.
These scam groups are now beginning to use a new type of fraud called "pig butchering," where they establish deep, often romantic relationships with victims over a long period of online contact before defrauding them. Interpol states that this form of scam originated in China and mainly targets victims in the US, Europe, Japan, and many other countries worldwide.
According to the United Nations' estimate in August 2023, the number of victims in countries like Myanmar and Cambodia is staggering, with over 120,000 people in Myanmar forced into cyber scams and illegal gambling, and over 100,000 in Cambodia.
Meanwhile, an Interpol report points out that thousands of young men and women from Asia, East Africa, South America, and Western Europe have also been lured into these scam parks.
A report by the China Institute of International Studies indicates that the Northern Myanmar region has become one of the global hotspots for telecom fraud. The report analyzes that the introduction of Myanmar's new gambling law in 2019 accelerated the rise of the online gambling industry in Northern Myanmar, providing a "breeding ground" for criminal groups. Combined with the rapid development of internet and communication technologies, the economic structure of the Northern Myanmar region has gradually become dependent on this illegal industry.
Statistics show that just in Myawaddy on the Myanmar-Thailand border, there are hundreds of scam parks, and in some areas of Northern Myanmar, the number of scam groups reaches at least 1000 parks, with over 100,000 people participating in telecom fraud activities daily.
Regions like Northern and Eastern Myanmar, including Wa State and Kokang, have developed a distorted economic model dominated by telecom fraud and online gambling. The report notes that even school buildings are being rented out to telecom fraud companies.
According to investigations, some criminals in Northern Myanmar believe that compared to drug trafficking, telecom fraud and online gambling are "less risky and more profitable." Some areas, especially Wa State, have become heavily dependent on the telecom fraud industry, leading to increasingly rampant criminal activities.
