Myanmar scam hub, a sign that public knowledge and pressure works.
There's a desire to cheer for this scam hub being demolished. But the good news is a bunch of trafficked people were freed and a scam center was dismantled. The bad news is this doesn't solve the problem, and was likely the Myanmar military junta feeling pressured by China to do something.
Myanmar scam hub sweep triggers fraudster recruitment rush Bangkok (AFP) – Recent raids on one of Myanmar's most notorious internet scam hubs sparked a recruitment rush as fleeing workers scrambled to enlist at nearby fraud factories, experts and insiders told AFP. Issued on: 04/11/2025 - 05:17 Modified: 04/11/2025 - 05:33 Last month, the junta said its troops had occupied around 200 buildings in KK Park and found more than 2,000 scammers. Analysts say the raid was likely limited and heavily choreographed -- designed to vent pressure to take action without too badly denting profits. But it nonetheless prompted an exodus of 1,500 people from 28 nationalities into Thailand, according to provincial Thai authorities. Among them were around 500 Indian nationals and around 200 Filipinos. Authorities face the daunting task of discerning trafficking victims from willing scammers. Speaking to AFP on condition of anonymity, one Filipino man described fleeing KK Park on October 22 with around 30 compatriots as a pro-junta militia arrived to aid the crackdown. "Everyone ran outside," he said. "This was our chance to escape." Grabbing what few possessions he could, the man fled the compound he says he was trafficked into and crossed by boat to western Thailand. Sold for scamming With one expert estimating around 20,000 people had been working in KK Park -- the vast majority believed to be Chinese nationals -- those who fled to Thailand likely made up less than 10 percent. But those who stayed behind are not necessarily willing participants.
The scamming is bad, the treatment of people forced to do the dirty work of perpetrating the scams is even worse. These scam centers target people in China, Europe, and the U.S. We need public information campaigns alerting people to the scams, to make it a less lucrative endeavour.
Some related posts with my letters to reps about scams:
Meta’s vig on scams – taking a big cut off the top on billions of scams every day on social media. This promotion and profiteering off of scam ads includes making money from their cut on Facebook and Instagram, including for even banned products. Chloe Humbert Nov 09, 2025
Cryptocurrency is bad - it’s a vehicle for hurting people. It’s bad for the environment and the society where all us people have to live. Chloe Humbert Feb 25, 2025
