Months after a coordinated international crackdown intended to dismantle a network of cyber-fraud centers in Myanmar, the criminal enclaves are undergoing a period of unprecedented expansion. An investigation reveals that these fortified compounds, responsible for defrauding global victims of billions of dollars through sophisticated online scams, are engaged in a rapid construction boom along the Thai-Myanmar border. The growth suggests the criminal syndicates running these operations have adapted to enforcement pressure, leveraging new technology and the region’s instability to continue their work.
These sprawling, heavily guarded complexes are the physical hubs of a vast criminal enterprise built on human trafficking and forced labor. Tens of thousands of individuals, many lured from across Asia and Africa with false promises of high-paying jobs, are held captive and forced to perpetrate scams around the clock. Despite joint efforts by China, Thailand, and Myanmar authorities earlier this year that led to the release of thousands, analysis of satellite imagery and drone footage shows that the fraud factories are now bigger and more technologically resilient than ever before, posing a deepening challenge to global law enforcement.
A Breathtaking Building Boom
Evidence gathered over the past several months points to a massive scaling-up of infrastructure within the scam centers clustered in the Myawaddy region of Myanmar, which lies across the Moei River from Thailand. Satellite images of KK Park, one of the largest and most notorious compounds, show that an entire new section has been constructed in just seven months. The development includes what appear to be large new office blocks and extensive dormitory facilities to house a larger workforce. The main entrance has also been significantly expanded, with a new access road and roundabout to manage increased traffic.
This construction is not isolated to a single compound. Across the estimated 27 scam centers in the Myawaddy cluster, a similar pattern of rapid growth is visible. Cranes and laborers are actively working on multi-story buildings within several fortified perimeters. To support this expansion, at least five new ferry crossings have been established on the Moei River, likely to facilitate the movement of supplies, equipment, and people from the Thai side. The US Treasury has also noted ongoing construction at the infamous Shwe Kokko centers, another key node in the criminal network located north of Myawaddy.
The Technological Lifeline
A key factor enabling this resurgence is the adoption of Elon Musk’s Starlink satellite internet service. When Thai authorities attempted to disrupt the scam operations earlier this year by cutting off electricity and conventional telecommunication services to the border region, the criminal syndicates pivoted. Drone footage and eyewitness accounts reveal the compounds are now festooned with hundreds of Starlink satellite dishes, providing a high-speed, independent connection to the internet that is difficult for national authorities to sever.
This technological adaptation has drawn sharp criticism from officials in the United States, where victims lost an estimated 10 billion dollars to such scams last year. Members of the US Congress have formally called on Musk to prevent his service from being used by these criminal enterprises, arguing that the American company is inadvertently enabling the exploitation and fraud. Anti-scamming advocates report that Starlink receivers are now ubiquitous across the compounds, having gone from a non-entity to the dominant internet provider in the region in less than a year.
Inside the Criminal Enclaves
The compounds function as self-contained cities built for the sole purpose of perpetrating online fraud. They are surrounded by high walls, barbed wire, and patrolled by armed guards affiliated with local militias, making escape nearly impossible.
A Global Trafficking Operation
The workforce is composed of victims of human trafficking on a massive scale. A 2023 United Nations report estimated that up to 120,000 people are being held and forced to work in scam centers across Myanmar, with another 100,000 in similar conditions in Cambodia. Recruiters use sophisticated online postings to promise legitimate jobs in tech support, sales, or hospitality, then transport their victims to these lawless zones. Once inside, their passports are confiscated, and they are subjected to brutal conditions, including violence, torture, and threats against their families, to ensure compliance. Freed workers have provided accounts of beatings and round-the-clock shifts.
The Mechanics of the Scams
Workers are forced to execute a variety of scams, with two of the most prevalent being romance scams and “pig butchering.” In romance scams, operatives cultivate long-term relationships with victims online before convincing them to send money. The more complex “pig butchering” fraud involves operatives posing as successful investors who gain a victim’s trust, often over weeks or months, before persuading them to invest large sums of money in fraudulent cryptocurrency or trading platforms. The platforms are designed to show impressive initial returns, encouraging larger investments before the criminals—and the money—disappear.
An Alliance of Crime and Conflict
These scam operations thrive in the lawless borderlands of the Golden Triangle, a region historically known for illicit economies. The business model is a partnership between well-funded, technologically sophisticated Chinese-led transnational crime syndicates and local ethnic armed militias that control territory beyond the reach of Myanmar’s central government. The country’s ongoing civil war and political instability have created a power vacuum that these groups have expertly exploited.
The syndicates provide the capital, technology, and international network for the scam operations, while the local militias offer territory, security, and impunity from the rule of law. This symbiotic relationship allows the fraud factories to operate as de facto sovereign entities, managing their own infrastructure, security, and logistics with little fear of interference from state authorities.
A Crackdown with Limited Reach
In early 2025, facing immense pressure from Beijing to protect Chinese citizens who were both victims of scams and forced labor, a joint operation was launched. Coordinated efforts between China, Thailand, and local militias in Myanmar resulted in raids that freed approximately 7,000 captive workers. The move was publicly hailed as a major victory against the criminal networks. However, analysts now view the crackdown as having had only a temporary effect.
While the intervention disrupted some operations and rescued thousands, the masterminds of the syndicates largely remained at large. Instead of eradicating the industry, the pressure appears to have forced the criminal groups to consolidate, adapt, and invest further in their infrastructure and security. The rapid rebuilding and technological upgrades demonstrate a resilience that has outpaced regional enforcement efforts, showing that the operations have not only survived but are positioning themselves for further growth.