Myanmar passes tougher bill targeting scam rings

Homepage > News > Business > Myanmar passes tougher bill targeting scam rings Law enforcement raids and arrests are no longer enough to clamp down on Myanmar’s growing cyber scam industry, forcing the military-backed parliament to pass a draft bill imposing longer prison terms for individuals and groups organizing crypto scam operations and internet fraud factories. Despite having an authoritarian government led by civilian leader Min Aung Hlaing, Myanmar continues to deal with online scams, which have been growing following the military coup in 2021, with groups taking advantage of the unrest to establish scam centers and launder funds from unsuspecting victims from around the globe, particularly in Southeast Asia. A BBC report in 2025 estimated that around 100,000 people were lured in by Chinese fraud and gambling operatives to work in scam operation centers. This issue, however, is not confined to Myanmar but also impacts Thailand, as victims are trafficked by these organized crime groups to areas along the Thai-Myanmar border, prompting the Civil Society Network for Human Trafficking Victim Assistance (CSNHTV) in June 2026 to pressure Thai authorities to take immediate...