BEIJING: Chinese authorities have hailed a sweeping crackdown on scam compounds operating along the country’s southern border with Myanmar, just days before a key political meeting in Beijing.
Government statements released since Wednesday said more than 57,000 Chinese nationals have been arrested for alleged involvement in cross-border fraud, with officials detailing accounts of torture and murder inside the criminal compounds.
An AFP investigation published earlier this week found that despite Beijing’s efforts, many of the scam operations remain active and expanding, particularly in Myanmar and Thailand.
SCAM COMPOUNDS STILL OPERATING
Satellite images and drone footage reviewed by AFP showed intensive construction work inside heavily fortified areas around Myawaddy, a Myanmar border town opposite Thailand.
Many of the compounds appeared to be using Elon Musk’s Starlink satellite internet service, allowing large-scale online operations to continue despite the crackdown.
Many victims are trafficked or lured by fake job offers and are forced to work long hours running global phone and internet scams that extract billions of dollars from people worldwide. Some workers reportedly joined voluntarily.
Experts say the centres, infamous for romance scams and “pig butchering” investment cons, are largely controlled by Chinese-led crime syndicates in cooperation with Myanmar militias in the lawless Golden Triangle region.
Source: CNA
