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Six Asian nations take a stand against cyber scam slave camps

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  • 2 min read

The Lancang-Mekong Law Enforcement Cooperation (LMLEC), consisting of China, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam, claims that it has been making good on its promises of rooting out cyber scam slave camps located in the border regions of Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia, and Thailand.

Chinese media reports that the group claims it has arrested over 70,000 suspects related to the scams and rescued more than 160 persons during a joint operation between August and December 2024. At the group’s latest meeting on January 21, member nations also decided to tackle the scam den of Myawaddy, a small town located at the Myanmar-Thailand border. The group has also vowed to deepen intelligence sharing and conduct more joint operations in the future.

These cyber scam slave camps have been a big pain in the region, especially for China, as an estimated 100,000 of its citizens have been lured into digital slavery and in turn, scam many more of their countrymen. Some of these operations have become so big that they’ve attracted the attention of the FBI and Interpol. India’s National Investigation Agency (NIA) has also intensified its investigation into a similar cyber slavery syndicate operating out of the Golden Triangle.

The camps are run by criminals who promise all expense paid jobs in Asia, with roles generally described as tech support or call centre staff. However, once a hopeful candidate travels to the region to make good on the job’s promises, they quickly discover that the promises were false and that they need to pay for the travel, accommodation, and boarding costs.

This means that most people who fall for this scam are in debt to their fraudulent employers from the first day. Additionally, their passports are also confiscated and workers are often threatened with violence. Leaving the camps isn’t allowed without clearing debts, and The Register reports working conditions so bad that workers have reportedly died while trying to make daring escape attempts.

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Yadullah Abidi

Yadullah Abidi

Yadullah is a Computer Science graduate who writes/edits/shoots/codes all things cybersecurity, gaming, and tech hardware. When he's not, he streams himself racing virtual cars. He's been writing and reporting on tech and cybersecurity with websites like Candid.Technology and MakeUseOf since 2018. You can contact him here: yadullahabidi@pm.me.

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