Reports: Myanmar’s Scam Centres Expand Despite Military and Thai Crackdowns

What happened

DVB English reports that an extensive cyber-scamming industry in Myanmar is rapidly expanding, with new compounds emerging in borderlands despite recent crackdowns by Myanmar’s military and Thai authorities. The report, drawing on satellite imagery, testimony from freed victims, and investigators on the ground, reveals the discovery of a major scam operation called Shunda Park by Karen National Liberation Army forces after retaking territory from a militia. Approximately 3,000 workers were held in harsh conditions inside this compound.

Outside Brief is treating this as a source-led account. Any disputed responsibility, casualty figure, battlefield claim or single-source assertion should be treated as unconfirmed/hearsay unless confirmed by another reliable source or a named official. Victims describe severe abuses including confinement in dark rooms, chained punishment, and scarce food and water, as well as physical violence. Photographic evidence provided to ABC shows bruises and injuries sustained by trafficked workers. Seized items from the raid included thousands of phones, SIM cards, hard drives, and training materials for romance scams, exposing the operation’s industrial scale and sophistication.

Since the 2021 coup, scam centres have proliferated in Myanmar’s lawless border regions, generating millions while exploiting trafficked workers from across Asia. Though Thai and Myanmar governments have announced dismantling several large operations such as Shwe Kokko and KK Park—which had up to 25,000 workers before being bombed—experts report the problem is merely decentralizing and morphing rather than diminishing.

Known from the source

• The Karen National Liberation Army discovered a scam compound called Shunda Park in Myanmar’s borderlands.
• Approximately 3,000 people were held inside Shunda Park working under harsh and abusive conditions.
• Photographic evidence provided to ABC shows violence and mistreatment of trafficked scam workers.
• Large scam centres such as Shwe Kokko and KK Park previously held thousands of workers before being dismantled or attacked.
• Satellite imagery confirms new scam centres are under construction in Myanmar’s border regions.

What remains unclear

Analysts monitoring the region, including the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime and satellite imagery experts from the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, confirm newer compounds appear to be spreading exponentially, often looking like apartment complexes close to the Thai border. On-the-ground humanitarian sources report multiple scam sites under construction, suggesting continued growth fueled by the chaotic security environment and weak law enforcement.

What remains unclear: Confirm whether the central claim is corroborated; until then treat it as unconfirmed/hearsay. The scale and exact number of workers currently held in scam centres including Shunda Park and other new compounds. Independent verification of the extent of abuses and forced confinement described by victims. Verification of the actors responsible for operating and defending these scam compounds.

Evidence note

Outside Brief has kept this brief source-led and attributed. Claims should be read alongside the original source linked below.

Original source: DVB English. Open the source.