Prøve GULL - Gratis
Myanmar scam cities booming
Cape Argus
|October 16, 2025
THEY said they had smashed them. But fraud factories in Myanmar blamed for scamming Chinese and American victims out of billions of dollars are still in business and bigger than ever, an investigation can reveal.
-
Satellite images and drone footage show frenetic building work in the heavily guarded compounds around Myawaddy on the Thailand-Myanmar border, which appear to be using Elon Musk’ Starlink satellite internet service on a huge scale.
Experts say most of the centres, notorious for their romance scams and “pig butchering” investment cons, are run by Chinese-led crime syndicates working with Myanmar militias in the lawless badlands of the Golden Triangle.
China, Thailand and Myanmar pressured the militias into vowing to “eradicate” the compounds in February, releasing around 7 000 people from a brutal call centre-like system that runs on greed, human trafficking and violence.
Freed workers from Asia, Africa and elsewhere showed journalists the scars and bruises of beatings they said were inflicted by their bosses.
They said they had been forced to work around the clock, trawling for victims for a plethora of phone and internet scams.
Sun, a Chinese national who was sold between several compounds, was able to give a rare insider's account after being freed with Beijing’s help.
Denne historien er fra October 16, 2025-utgaven av Cape Argus.
Abonner på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av kuraterte premiumhistorier og over 9000 magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
FLERE HISTORIER FRA Cape Argus
Cape Argus
Langa firefighter eyes world boxing title
A 24-YEAR-OLD firefighter from Langa who spends her days battling dangerous blazes on Table Mountain is now preparing to face a different kind of heat, a world boxing title fight in Poland.
1 mins
March 12, 2026
Cape Argus
How the chief heat officer is tackling City's heatwave crisis
RISK ASSESSMENT
2 mins
March 12, 2026
Cape Argus
Chiefs risk repeating mistakes with reported move for Da Cruz
IT is often said, “once bitten, twice shy”.
2 mins
March 12, 2026
Cape Argus
Slot frustrated by sloppy Reds in Galatasaray defeat
ARNE Slot was left to rue Liverpool's sloppy finishing as Galatasaray earned a 1-0 win in Tuesday’s Champions League last-16 first leg.
2 mins
March 12, 2026
Cape Argus
City champions Africa's largest jazz fest
CAPE
1 mins
March 12, 2026
Cape Argus
Body parts trade a threat to survival of SA’s lions
THE increased targeted poaching of lions for the illegal trade in their body parts poses an undeniable threat to the species in Africa.
4 mins
March 12, 2026
Cape Argus
Residents loot alcohol truck during heatwave
A CROWD in Langa took advantage of the scorching heat on Tuesday afternoon by looting an alcohol truck, with temperatures reaching around 38°C in Cape Town.
1 min
March 12, 2026
Cape Argus
Amakhosi face a crucial match against Durban City
THE biggest football club in South Africa by fanbase, Kaizer Chiefs, will be a nervous bunch in their next Betway Premiership encounter against a trickey Durban City.
2 mins
March 12, 2026
Cape Argus
Fourie ready to prove doubters wrong after 'turning odometer back'
FOR Stormers and Springboks legend Deon Fourie, the last 24 months have been an arduous cycle of injury, surgery, rehabilitation, and fleeting returns to the field.
2 mins
March 12, 2026
Cape Argus
WC ramps up foot and mouth vaccination drive
THE Western Cape's fight against foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) has received a major boost after 100000 additional vaccine doses arrived at Cape Town International Airport, allowing authorities to accelerate vaccinations across key livestock regions.
2 mins
March 12, 2026
Listen
Translate
Change font size
