Scam haven: Responding to surging cyber crime and human trafficking in Myanmar investigates the rise of transnational organized crime, human trafficking, and cyber fraud in post-coup Myanmar. Drawing on field research, interviews, and open-source data, it shows how Myanmar’s $37 billion illicit economy continues to expand despite repeated crackdowns.
By Myanmar Scam Watch
MYANMAR DIGITAL RESEARCH 25
Abstract
In the aftermath of Myanmar’s 2021 military coup, the country has emerged as a major hub for cyber scam operations, with illicit profits estimated in the tens of billions of dollars. Scam haven explores how organized crime networks, often operating under the protection or indirect cooperation of the State Administration Council (SAC) and affiliated militias, have established large-scale scam compounds across border areas such as Myawaddy, Shwe Kokko, and Laukkai. Drawing on open-source data, interviews, and field reports, the study reveals how the convergence of armed conflict, corruption, and digital exploitation has produced a transnational ecosystem of cybercrime.
The report also examines the failures of Operation 1027 and other enforcement campaigns, which, despite international attention, have done little to dismantle the networks’ core infrastructure. It concludes by emphasizing the urgent need for cross-border cooperation, digital platform accountability, and survivor-centered rehabilitation frameworks to address what has become one of the region’s most complex humanitarian and cybercrime crises.
Keywords: cyber scam, transnational crime, human trafficking, digital economy, corruption, Myanmar coup, Operation 1027, border security
This Myanmar Digital Research paper was produced for the Knowledge for Democracy Myanmar (K4DM) initiative, with the aid of a grant from the International Development Research Centre (IDRC), and with support from The SecDev Foundation. Views expressed herein do not necessarily represent those of either organization.
Over the next two years, over twenty papers in the Myanmar Digital Research series will have researchers within and in the Myanmar diaspora exploring how the digital world is shaping their social, political and economic crisis, bringing new insights into issues facing Myanmar citizens. See below for others available now.