Newly released satellite photographs have exposed the rapid expansion of illicit scam compounds along the volatile border between Thailand and Myanmar, underscoring a regional crisis of human trafficking and organised crime.
A Haven for Criminal Enterprise
Countries including Myanmar, Cambodia, and Laos have become safe havens for a transnational, multibillion-dollar online fraud industry. These scam centres are often large, fortified compounds run by criminal networks engaged in a web of illegal activities. This criminal activity spans online fraud, human trafficking, modern slavery, and large-scale money laundering.
Lawless border regions have proven especially vulnerable. Research and satellite analysis indicate a alarming surge in operations, with scam centres along the Thai-Myanmar frontier more than doubling in number since Myanmar's military junta seized power in 2021. One image from 2025 clearly shows a sprawling compound in Myanmar's eastern Myawaddy township, situated directly along the Moei River facing Thailand's Mae Sot district.
Global Reach, Local Suffering
The scale of human misery within these complexes is vast. United Nations data suggests that at least 120,000 people in Myanmar and another 100,000 in Cambodia are likely being forced to work in these centres. Hundreds of thousands of people are believed to have been trafficked into the industry globally.
"Southeast Asia is the ground zero for the global scamming industry," stated Benedikt Hofmann from the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). Victims are lured from across Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and South America with false promises of legitimate employment. Upon arrival, their documents are confiscated, and they are held against their will.
Trapped workers are forced to perpetrate online scams, using social media and messaging apps to target victims worldwide. Life inside the compounds is brutal, with widespread reports of torture, including beatings and electric shocks, used to enforce compliance and extort maximum productivity.
Regional Crackdowns Begin
Confronted by the scale of the problem, regional authorities have begun to act. Thailand has initiated a crackdown by attempting to sever critical utilities, cutting off electricity, fuel, and internet supplies to suspected compounds across the border.
In a parallel move, Myanmar's military has reportedly raided a major scam centre, detaining more than 2,100 individuals and seizing Starlink satellite internet terminals that provided the operations with a crucial, hard-to-disrupt communications link. These actions represent initial steps against a deeply entrenched criminal ecosystem that continues to exploit regional instability and vulnerable populations.
