In October 2021, La Awng, a university student from Kachin State in Myanmar, traveled to Laukkai, near the China border, with hopes of working in a casino. Instead, he found himself trafficked into a cyber-scamming business operated by Chinese criminal networks. This industry, which has flourished across Southeast Asia since the COVID-19 pandemic, has become a significant source of illicit income. By the end of 2023, regional syndicates were defrauding individuals worldwide of approximately $64 billion annually, according to a report by the United States Institute of Peace. These operations typically confine workers in harsh conditions, using abuse and torture to maintain control.
Since the February 2021 military coup, Myanmar has increasingly become a hub for such criminal activities. Like many others, La Awng was held captive in a high-rise building in Laukkai and forced to participate in a scheme known as “pig butchering.” This scam involves creating online romances to lure victims into fake cryptocurrency investment schemes.
La Awng described the ruthless nature of the operation: workers would build trust with targets and then introduce them to cryptocurrency investments, ultimately scamming them out of their money. Despite the brutal conditions, where workers were frequently beaten and tortured, La Awng complied with orders and advanced within the organization, thus avoiding severe punishment.
Before the pandemic, La Awng was a university student who joined mass education boycotts after the coup. Ten months later, a friend suggested he work in a Laukkai casino for 7,500 Chinese yuan ($1,035) a month. After paying a job agent 750,000 kyats ($360), he discovered he had been lured into something far more sinister. Assigned to a computer, he was forced to engage with men and women from foreign countries using fake profiles on social media and messaging apps, adhering to strict targets set by his bosses.
Others, like Htun from the Sagaing region, were deceived by fraudulent job ads, while some, like Brang from Kachin State, were betrayed by friends. Trapped in the scam operations, they found themselves unable to leave due to financial constraints and the constant threat of violence.
Determined to make the best of his situation, La Awng accepted a job with another scam company after his initial contract ended. His fluency in English and Chinese earned him a promotion to trainer and translator, working the final stages of the scams. Despite earning a decent income, he struggled with the moral burden of defrauding people and witnessing the brutal treatment of workers who disobeyed.
This glimpse into the cyber-scam industry highlights the severe exploitation and psychological toll on the workers, who are often young people lured by the promise of high wages in a country with limited job opportunities.
The dark underbelly of this industry reveals a modern form of slavery, where individuals are trafficked, confined, and forced into criminal activities. The psychological and physical abuse they endure underscores the urgent need for international intervention and comprehensive strategies to dismantle these criminal networks.
