The National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) of Thailand took the decision to cut off internet and phone connections with Northeastern Myanmar due to security concerns. Shwe Kokko, a town in Myawaddy Township near the Thai town of Mae Sot, has become a hub for casinos, online scams, and illegal activities.
The action was taken as a result of a large number of online scams that took place in the region. According to data provided by a report from Voice of America’s Burmese service, an NBTC official reported that telephone and internet connections between Thailand and the town of Shwe Kokko in Myanmar’s Kayin (Karen) State have been suspended as a result of scams carried out by criminal groups.
Over the last few years, crime and online scams associated with casinos in the town of Shwe Kokko have grown rapidly. The scam schemes began in the town with the evolution of various casinos towards the end of 2010, later evolving into scams carried out by phone and computers.
A local worker explained that at least 30 companies operate in the town carrying out illegal scams within the framework of activities related to drug trafficking, prostitution, and gambling, targeting mostly Americans and Europeans through SMS messages and phone calls.
From 2023 to the present, illegal online operations in the SEA region have shown growth. A recent report from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) indicated that various scam schemes have been on the rise in the Mekong region, being operated by online casinos, prostitution, and drug trafficking, among other types of scams.
These operations often take place in special economic zones and other areas with lax regulation in countries like Laos, Myanmar, and Cambodia, and have connections to transnational organized crime groups.
The UNODC report estimates that there could be at least 100,000 victims of trafficking for forced criminality in Cambodia alone, making it one of the largest such operations in history.
Likewise, other types of scams such as phishing and cryptocurrency pyramid schemes have been driven by the adoption of AI, providing cybercriminals with tools to develop more complex tools and scam schemes.
Countries like Hong Kong and Singapore are taking measures to tackle crypto and online scams by addressing the challenges posed by the growth of illegal online activities.
These developments underscore the importance of regional cooperation and the need for robust cybersecurity measures to combat the rise of illegal scams in the SEA region. Individuals and organizations must stay informed and vigilant against such threats.
