US Sanctions 19 Entities Over $10B Myanmar, Cambodia Scam Networks

The U.S. Treasury Department has imposed sanctions on 19 entities and individuals across Myanmar and Cambodia involved in large-scale cyber scam operations that defrauded Americans of over $10 billion in 2024, marking a significant increase in such crimes. These operations, often protected by militias like Myanmar's Karen National Army, utilize forced labor and human trafficking to coerce victims into conducting scams, including elaborate "pig butchering" schemes involving fraudulent investment platforms. Key scam hubs include the Shwe Kokko compound in Myanmar and former casino complexes in Cambodia's Sihanoukville, where enslaved workers are forced to run virtual currency scams. The Treasury's actions aim to disrupt these criminal networks that also engage in money laundering, illegal gambling, and fraudulent investments, while subjecting thousands to modern slavery through debt bondage and violence. Under Secretary John K. Hurley emphasized the dual threat these cyber scams pose to American financial security and the welfare of trafficked individuals. The sanctions target both the operators and supporting entities to choke off funding and dismantle the infrastructure enabling these transnational cybercrime syndicates.