US issues sanctions against Myanmar armed group over scams

US sanctions Myanmar-based scam networks tied to human trafficking and Chinese crime groups as gangs exploit victims and fuel civil war. - REUTERS
WASHINGTON: The United States on Wednesday imposed financial sanctions on a Myanmar militia group for supporting a cyber scam operation that targeted Americans from territory it controls.
AI Brief
- Hundreds of thousands trafficked into scam centers across Southeast Asia, many in conflict-hit Myanmar.
- US sanctions target Myanmar militia leaders and Chinese-linked entities running online fraud and trafficking.
- Washington vows to fight cybercrime networks stealing billions and worsening Myanmars civil war.
The latest U.S. sanctions aimed at scam networks target the Democratic Karen Benevolent Army and four of its leaders, as well as entities and an individual linked to Chinese organized crime, the U.S. Treasury Department said.
“Criminal networks operating out of Burma are stealing billions of dollars from hardworking Americans through online scams,” said John Hurley, the undersecretary for terrorism and financial intelligence, using an older name for the country.
“These same networks traffic human beings and help fuel Burma’s brutal civil war. The Administration will keep using every tool we have to go after these cybercriminals—wherever they operate—and to protect American families from their exploitation.”
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