Crime Rampant in Southeast Asia, Including Romance Scams
An armed ethnic minority group in northeastern Myanmar has apprehended 1,200 Chinese nationals involved in online fraud crimes and repatriated them to their home country.
According to foreign media on the 10th, the United Wa State Army (UWSA) conducted a two-day crackdown on online fraud crimes starting from the 6th and took these measures. A UWSA official stated, "We handed over the Chinese nationals to the public security authorities at the border."
Currently, in the Southeast Asian region, various online fraud crimes such as 'Romance Scam,' which involves deceiving victims for money under the pretense of dating, and voice phishing are rampant. In particular, criminal organizations lure economically disadvantaged individuals with job offers and then force them into labor.
According to a recent report published by the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), hundreds of thousands of Southeast Asians are forcibly involved in organized international online crimes. It is estimated that 120,000 and 100,000 people in Myanmar and Cambodia, respectively, have been mobilized for online fraud crimes. The report also stated that similar cases are frequently occurring in other countries such as Laos, the Philippines, and Thailand.
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