Myanmar's scam centers evolve, move into jungle hideouts

The lucrative online scam industry in Myanmar is undergoing a transformation, moving deeper into the country's jungle borderlands, as revealed by satellite imagery, victim accounts, and local investigators.

Pro-democracy fighters from an ethnic Karen armed group recently retook territory and made a significant discovery: a large apartment complex, dubbed Shunda Park, housing one of Myanmar's biggest online scamming operations. Approximately 3,000 individuals were found working within the compound.

Cameron, a pseudonym for a humanitarian worker with the Free Burma Rangers, described the horrific conditions faced by the workers. "When we started to hear their stories, I realised just how plain evil the treatment of workers was in there," he said. "Some were out in the cold, all freezing and vulnerable near the river."

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When we started to hear their stories, I realised just how plain evil the treatment of workers was in there. Some were out in the cold, all freezing and vulnerable near the river.

Victims shared harrowing experiences of abuse. Ivan, a Malaysian man trafficked to Myanmar, recounted being "hung by chains and kept in dark rooms" for failing to meet scamming targets. Other workers described similar punishments, including being held for days with minimal food and water. Photos obtained by ABC show injuries inflicted upon the workers.

During the raid on Shunda Park, authorities seized thousands of phones, SIM cards, and hard drives, along with training manuals detailing how to conduct romance scams. This discovery offers a rare glimpse into an industry that has thrived amidst the chaos of Myanmar's ongoing civil war since the 2021 military coup. Scam compounds, often disguised as ordinary office buildings, have proliferated in lawless border regions, generating millions of dollars while exploiting trafficked workers globally. Despite crackdowns and publicized dismantling of larger compounds like Shwe Kokko and KK Park, the industry continues to adapt and persist.

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When we didn't hit the targets of scamming enough people, we were hung by chains and kept in dark rooms.