On Monday, the U.S. implemented financial and diplomatic sanctions on nine companies in Myanmar, ten companies in Cambodia, and several individuals in both countries for being involved in a global scam industry that stole about USD 10 billion from Americans last year.
The U.S. has targeted companies operating in Myanmar’s Shwe Kokko city, a notorious scam hub under the protection of the Karen National Army (KNA). Individuals that are being sanctioned are also members of KNA, controlling or protecting the scam operation.
One individual on the sanction list is She Zhijiang, co-creator of Yatai New City. He has turned a small village into a resort city filled with criminal operations, including the scamming activity that primarily targets Americans. So far, Zhijiang is being imprisoned in Thailand.
As for Cambodia, the U.S. imposed sanctions on several individuals who have turned their hotels, office blocks and casinos into scam compounds. Their companies also faced sanctions for supporting or carrying out illegal activities, including human trafficking.
Most of the scammers were original victims who were thought to have landed a job in a foreign nation. After being forced against their will, they often use a “pig-butchering” scheme, where they pretend to form a relationship and manipulate victims to invest in nonexistent ventures.
