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Myanmar’s military has shut down a major online scam operation near the border. ThailandState media reported on Monday that more than 2,000 people were detained and dozens of Starlink satellite internet terminals confiscated.
myanmar It is notorious for hosting cyber scam operations responsible for defrauding people across the globe. These usually involve gaining the trust of victims online through romantic advances and fraudulent investments.
These centers are notorious for recruiting workers from other countries under false pretenses, promising them legitimate jobs, and then detaining them and forcing them to carry out criminal activities.
The scam’s actions made international headlines last week when United States of America And Britain Sanctions were imposed against the organizers of a major Cambodian cyber scam ring, and its alleged ringleader was convicted by a New York federal court.
The military raided Kek Park, a well-documented cybercrime hub, as part of an operation that began in early September to suppress online fraud, illegal gambling and cross-border cybercrime, according to a report by Myanma Allin newspaper on Monday.
It published photographs displaying seized Starlink equipment and soldiers carrying out the raid, although it was unclear when exactly they were taken.
KK Park is located on the outskirts of Myawaddy, a major trading town on the border with Thailand in Myanmar’s Kayin State. The area is under the sole control of Myanmar’s military government, and also comes under the influence of ethnic minority militias.
Military government spokesman Major General Zaw Min Tun alleged in a statement on Monday night that the top leader Karen The National Union, an armed ethnic organization opposing military rule, was involved in scam projects in KK Park.
The allegation was first made based on claims that a company backed by the Karen Group had given permission to lease out the land. However, the Karen, who are part of a larger armed resistance movement in Myanmar’s civil war, deny any involvement in the scandals.
Myanmar Allin said the military discovered that more than 260 buildings were unregistered, and seized equipment including 30 sets of Starlink satellite internet terminals. It said 2,198 individuals were detained, though it did not specify their nationality.
Starlink is part of Elon Musk’s SpaceX company and the terminals are connected to its satellites. It does not have licensed operations in Myanmar, but at least hundreds of terminals have been smuggled into the Southeast Asian nation.
The company could not immediately be reached for comment Monday, but its policy prohibits “abusive, fraudulent, obscene or misleading conduct.”
Earlier this year and in 2023, there have been earlier crackdowns on cyber scam operations in Myanmar.
Facing pressure from China, the governments of Thailand and Myanmar launched an operation in February in which they, working with ethnic armed groups that rule Myanmar’s border areas, freed thousands of trafficking victims from scam complexes.