Alliance of the Three Fraternities

[Lord777]

In northern Myanmar, the Three Brotherhood Alliance, an armed group consisting of representatives of three ethnic groups, announced the beginning of a military operation in the city of Laukkaing on the border with China.

The city is located in the northeastern part of Myanmar, in the Shan State, which borders China. The political situation in the region is rather tense. It is caused by the presence of various armed groups and prolonged ethnic conflicts, as well as a high level of crime (due to unrest in society).

Laukkaing is also known as a key center of cyber fraud, and its activities cause serious concerns in Beijing.

In an official statement, the Alliance explains its plans:"In order to completely eradicate Internet fraud, as well as eliminate criminal centers and their strongholds throughout the country, including in the border areas between China and Myanmar, we have decided to jointly carry out this military operation." One of the main tasks of the group is to combat the spread of the so-called pig butchering scheme, which has become a major international problem.

Pig butchering is a type of cyber fraud in which victims are "fattened" with promises of large profits, just as they fatten a pig before slaughter. Attackers build up the trust of their targets for a long time (usually through online correspondence) before swindling them out of large amounts of money and disappearing.

In Kokang, an area of Shan State inhabited by ethnic Chinese, such schemes are a significant source of income. Here, organized crime has long flourished, and until recently it was treated with leniency.

However, the Chinese government has recently begun to actively press the Myanmar authorities to stop this activity, as the victims are often the Chinese themselves.

According to UN reports, about 120,000 people were involved in fraudulent activity in Myanmar. This is due not only to harmless cyber attacks, but also to the real slave trade industry on the darknet. Victims attracted by fake job ads find themselves locked up in camps where cybercriminals engage them in their illegal activities.

Since the operation began, the Three Brotherhoods Alliance has successfully captured large areas, including key border towns. Hundreds of victims of human trafficking were released from the captured camps.

On Sunday, the Thai government returned 266 of its citizens, 6 Filipinos and 1 citizen of Singapore to their homeland.

The Alliance's mission reflects the efforts of both local and international forces in the fight against cyber fraud, which has become a global critical threat at the global level.

 

[Teacher]

The Asian cyber fraud center in Myanmar came under the control of the popular resistance

A coalition of rebel groups in Myanmar, a Southeast Asian country bordering Bangladesh, India, Thailand, Laos and China, recently successfully took control of the city of Laukkai, known as a major center of cyber fraud in the region that has plagued countries including those bordering Myanmar.

"Operation 1027" began in late October 2023 with the goal of liberating the people from the military junta that came to power in Myanmar in 2021. On the evening of January 4, the government handed over control of the entire Kokan region, which includes the troubled city of Laukkai, to the Three Brotherhood Alliance.

Since the beginning of the operation, the rebel coalition has clearly outlined its goal — to eradicate organized fraudulent operations that spread under the strict supervision of local law enforcement officers loyal to the ruling junta.

"In order to root out telecommunications fraud, rogue dens and their backers across the country, including the border areas of China and Myanmar, our coalition forces have decided to conduct this military operation," the rebels said at the start of their offensive.

This focus on combating fraud is probably an attempt to enlist the support of China, which is tired of attacks on its citizens in so-called Pig Butchering scams, in which users affected by online fraud become forced Internet scammers themselves. Human trafficking, which flourishes in this region, simply leaves victims with no other choice.

Over the weekend, junta leader Senior General Min Aung Hlaing met with Chinese Deputy Foreign Minister Sun Weidong in Naypyidaw to discuss the common border and organized crime. "The two sides agreed to jointly maintain peace and stability on the China-Myanmar border, fight cross-border crime such as telecommunications fraud, and promote regional peace, tranquility, development and prosperity," the Chinese Foreign Ministry said after the meeting.

According to China's state-run media outlet China Daily, China's public security minister also held a virtual meeting with Myanmar's acting interior minister over the weekend, "where they promised to deepen cooperation in ensuring security and stability in border areas, especially by fighting telecommunications and online fraud."

In August 2023, the UN estimated that about 120,000 people were recruited in Myanmar to work in fraudulent operations. In January 2024, Chinese state media reported that over the past year, about 41 thousand people involved in telecommunications fraud in Myanmar were handed over to the Chinese authorities. It is not clear how many of the detainees were themselves victims of human trafficking, and not targeted cyber fraudsters, but there are more than enough such precedents in the region.

Cybersecurity experts warn that despite the success of the rebel military campaign, fraudulent operations may simply move to criminal enclaves in other parts of the country, especially along the borders with Thailand and Laos.

In an online New Year's message, Army Commander Peng Deren of the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance, one of three allied rebel groups, said that these movements are already taking place. "Even when my army was advancing on the border, military helicopters were taking the leaders of the telecommunications fraud away," Deren said, adding that "four military families" who controlled the fraudulent operations in Kokan also fled to a prominent enclave near the Thai side.

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The investigation revealed which online crimes brought $100 million to the Myanmar fraud syndicate.

Researchers have revealed that a newly built "fraud factory" on the Myanmar-Thailand border has earned almost $100 million in less than 2 years. Details about the activities of online criminals were revealed during a joint investigation of the Chainalysis service and the human rights organization International Justice Mission.

The KK Park Fraud Factory and Human Trafficking Center (KK Park), located along the Moei River on the border with Thailand, is an area where thousands of workers are reportedly being held against their will. Employees of the factory are forced to engage in fraud such as The Pig Butchering Scam-a scam in which a fraudster enters into the victim's trust during online correspondence, and then fraudulently convinces her to make fictitious investments.

The investigation began after the International Justice Mission (IJM) provided Chainalysis 2 with the addresses of crypto wallets that IJM says are linked to a Chinese shell company operating in KK Park. Since the creation of the wallets in July 2022, fraudsters have been transferring funds earned during online crimes to them. Part of the revenue probably comes from transactions related to fraud on dating sites. It is also noted that the families of the abducted people had to transfer the ransom for their release to these addresses, each of which exceeded $30,000.

Chainalysis notes that these addresses are just the tip of the iceberg in the activities of scammers from KK Park, emphasizing the close connection of ransomware operations with the main activity of conducting romantic scams (romance scam). It is also emphasized that the Tether (USDT) stablecoin plays a key role in fueling the fraud economy in Southeast Asia, becoming one of the most popular cryptocurrencies used by organized criminal groups.

Recall that since the summer of 2023, China has been insistently demanding that the Myanmar authorities take tough measures against the numerous enclaves of cyber scammers operating in the border areas. The reason was a wave of fraud using the scheme of "pig butchering" (pig butchering), the victims of which were citizens of the People's Republic of China. The activities of criminal enclaves in Myanmar's border areas were based on the use of forced labor of people illegally brought there from neighboring countries.

A coalition of rebel groups in Myanmar recently successfully took control of the city of Laukkai, known as a major center of cyber fraud in the region, which affected countries, including those bordering Myanmar. The rebel coalition has clearly set out its goal — to root out organized fraudulent operations that were spread under the strict supervision of local law enforcement officers loyal to the ruling junta.

• Source: https://www.chainalysis.com/blog/pig-butchering-human-trafficking/

 

[Man]

In Cambodia, journalist Meh Daru, known for his investigations in conditions of limited freedom of the press, was detained. The arrest was reported by human rights activists and the Association of Journalists. Mech Dara has become famous for its material on online fraud centers. The arrest occurred after the publication of posts about the work of the quarry, which the authorities considered provocative.

Before being detained, Dara managed to send a text message to the human rights organization Licadho, saying that he was being arrested by the military police, and then the phone was seized. A representative of Licadho confirmed this information. The news then began to spread, but official sources, government departments, were shut down due to the end of the working day. However, the independent journalistic organization CamboJA News spoke about the incident, citing Dara's family.

According to CamboJA, a representative of the military police confirmed the arrest of the journalist and noted that the detention was carried out on the basis of a warrant, but the reasons for the arrest and the whereabouts of Dara are not specified.

According to information from relatives, Dara's car was stopped on a toll road at the entrance to Phnom Penh, Cambodia. The police arrived at the scene, accompanied by a military vehicle and five cars. The officers referred to the warrant, but did not show it. The police then confiscated the journalist's phone and demanded that his family not get out of the car and not talk.

A possible reason for the detention may be two photos of the journalist published on the social network, which depict the work of a quarry and the sacred mountain of Ba Phnom with a Buddhist pagoda in the province of Prei Veng. It is assumed that the fast implied the destruction of the sacred mountain, but the authorities denied this. On Monday, the Prei Veng provincial administration accused the journalist of "trying to cause social unrest and confusion," which could be a criminal offense. Local authorities asked the authorities to take action.

Previously, Meh Dara worked for Cambodia Daily and Phnom Penh Post, which were shut down under pressure from the government. He also collaborated with the Voice of Democracy, which the authorities closed last year.

Mech Dara has become famous for his investigations into human trafficking related to online fraud. According to the materials, the attackers lured people to work in Cambodia, and then actually held them in slavery in complexes where casinos also operate. All hostages were forced to carry out online fraud around the world, including the well-known "Pig Butchering" scheme.

This type of fraud has been practiced for several years, mainly in Cambodia and Myanmar, where more than 2,000 people are held. Recently, the Pig Butchering scheme has attracted the attention of US law enforcement, where victims have suffered millions of dollars in damages. In 2023, the US State Department recognized Mecha Daru as a "Hero in the Fight Against Human Trafficking" for his investigations.

Reporters Without Borders ranked Cambodia 151st out of 180 countries in its latest report on its press freedom index. The report says that the country's mainstream media adhere to the position of the authorities, and topics such as the opposition, corruption and deforestation remain out of sight. Cambodia's independent foreign media remain "a rare source of objective journalism".

 

[Man]

Sri Lankan Prime Minister Harini Amarasuria has appealed to the Thai government for assistance in rescuing Sri Lankan citizens held in cybercrime camps in the Myawadi region of Myanmar. According to information from the Prime Minister's Office, Amarasuria has requested the Thai government's assistance in carrying out a rescue operation with the support of the Myanmar government and the International Organization for Migration (IOM).

The request was made during the Prime Minister's meeting with Thai Ambassador Paitun Mahapannapork on October 10 at the Prime Minister's Office. Amarasuria expressed gratitude for the assistance already provided in rescuing 28 Sri Lankan citizens from cybercrime camps and asked for further support for the release of another 40 detained compatriots.

Ambassador Mahapannaporn congratulated Amarasuria on his appointment as Prime Minister and discussed the prospects for strengthening bilateral relations between Sri Lanka and Thailand. During the conversation, issues of the development of the tourism industry, the use of modern agricultural technologies, as well as joint research in the field of post-harvest technologies and food processing by the faculties of agriculture of Ruhun and Wayamba universities were touched upon.

Source

 

[Man]

Five Fates for $6000.

A hearing on human trafficking was held in the District Court of Hong Kong, as a result of which two defendants pleaded guilty. Ma Che-hou, 32, and Joshua Chung Man-waai, 25, were convicted of organizing a criminal scheme to take five Hong Kong residents to Southeast Asian countries. Charges against the third defendant in the case, 29-year-old Shum Mung-tse, were dropped due to lack of evidence.

The criminal scheme operated in 2021-2022. The attackers lured men aged 20 to 32 to Cambodia and Thailand with promises of quick money, prize money or business development abroad.

The two victims were taken to the Cambodian port city of Sihanoukville, which has been turned into semi-naked territory due to the spread of fraudulent enterprises under the control of Chinese criminal groups. The other three ended up in Myanmar, in the Chinese "fraud factory" KK Park, where thousands of forced laborers were allegedly held.

According to one of the victims, 29-year-old Ng Sik-ming, systematic physical abuse followed after refusing to work on fraudulent schemes. The man was handcuffed to a bed or pole, tortured with a stun gun, and once locked in a cage for four days. The release became possible only after the relatives paid a ransom in cryptocurrency.

Another victim, 20-year-old So Ka-wai, spent two weeks in captivity in August 2022. For failing to provide a ransom, he was beaten. Later, the victim's girlfriend transferred the required amount, most of which was converted into Hong Kong dollars and transferred to Ma's HSBC account.

Kwong Kam-fai (32) and Chan Wai-hang (23) were released by Cambodian police from a compound in Sihanoukville in February and December 2022, respectively. Chan was in captivity for almost 15 months - longer than all the other victims. Ma threatened to harm the young man's family in Hong Kong if he disobeyed. At the same time, Kwong, despite deception during recruitment, remained in the complex voluntarily after arriving in January 2022.

The fifth victim, 25-year-old Lung Tz-wa, had been in Myanmar for less than a month. The country's military government launched a campaign against forced labor, after which the victim was released.

Ma, previously unemployed and with ties to organized crime groups, regularly communicated with accomplices, discussing how to lure victims. In one of the messages, he noted that it was necessary to create the appearance of a lucrative offer so that victims would "voluntarily cross the river", referring to the Moei River on the border of Myanmar and Thailand, near KK Park.

Ma told police that he worked in a Chinese casino in Cambodia, earning $5,000 a month. According to him, later a citizen of the PRC invited him to participate in human trafficking. For recruiting six people, Ma received cryptocurrency worth between $4,000 and $6,000.

The second defendant, Chung, initially denied involvement in human trafficking, but later admitted that he deliberately helped one of the victims renew her passport and drove her to the airport.

The court hearing took place on November 1, 2024. However, details about the verdict have not yet been published. For fraud, they face up to 7 years in prison.

Source

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The High Court of Uganda will hear the case of human trafficking. In the dock are the municipal councilor of the Kanyanya district, Jasmine Namuli Kolo, businesswoman Sabuka Mukisa (aka Hilda Powers) and the municipal councilor of the Kawempe district, Shafik Kolo Matowu. They are accused of recruiting 25 Ugandans, who were promised high-paying jobs abroad, but instead were involved in criminal activities.

At the Buganda Road court session, 17 charges were read to the defendants. Shafik Kolo Matov did not appear in court and is now wanted.

According to prosecutors, from July to December 2023, in Kampala, Myanmar and Thailand, the defendants recruited and transported people, abusing their power and exploiting the vulnerable position of the victims. Recruits were forced to participate in financial fraud and other illegal schemes as part of a large syndicate.

State Prosecutor Ivan Chiazze informed the court of the completion of the investigation and presented an indictment with evidence for consideration in the High Court. According to the case file, between January and December 2023, the Ugandan government received information about the country's citizens who were transported to Myanmar through Thailand. The victims were held in an area controlled by the rebels, where they were forced to engage in Internet fraud. After the intervention of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 25 people were returned to their homeland.

The investigation revealed a criminal network operating in Dubai, Thailand, Myanmar and Uganda. Scammers offered Ugandans jobs as administrators or online marketers with a salary of $2000 per month. Victims were charged between 4.5 million and 6 million Ugandan shillings for visas and travel expenses.

One of the victims, Akiram Musoke, contacted Kolo's office after the recruitment announcement. After paying 3 million shillings, Musoke was included in a WhatsApp group to inform about the details of the trip. Subsequently, he was required to pay extra for fuel and registration at the airport, after which he was taken to Myanmar.

The prosecutor's office plans to submit to the court reports on cybercrimes, recordings of telephone conversations, travel documents, data on money transfers, search results and forensic reports. Mukisa is currently in custody, Namuli is released on bail, and Matowu is a fugitive from justice.

Source