China Intensifies Crackdown On 'Pig Butchering' Networks: 'Enough Is Enough'

Chinese authorities are escalating their efforts to dismantle an international online scam network known as “pig butchering,” which operates from Southeast Asia, often under the control of Chinese crime bosses.

The scammers foster elaborate online relationships with victims globally, coaxing them into making bogus investments, and then vanishing after gathering significant funds, reported The Wall Street Journal. The crackdown has led to mass arrests in the past few months, targeting areas along China’s border with Myanmar, known for their lawlessness and criminal activities, including narcotics trafficking.

These scam operations, often run by Chinese fugitives, have thrived in Myanmar’s frontier areas, long recognized as havens for gambling and various forms of trafficking. They have been responsible for defrauding billions of dollars annually from Chinese citizens and victims worldwide.

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These fraudsters operate from heavily guarded, clandestine compounds in remote hillside towns and notorious gambling hubs like Cambodia’s Sihanoukville and Poipet. Despite sporadic raids conducted by Cambodian authorities with China’s assistance, the scamming problem persists.

In response to the growing menace, Jason Tower, Myanmar country director for the United States Institute of Peace, stated, “China is starting to signal that enough is enough.”

Furthermore, the operations have fueled a human trafficking crisis, with scammers being victims of human trafficking themselves, often lured by deceptive job advertisements and held captive.

In a recent operation, China convinced armed groups overseeing remote parts of Myanmar to hunt down and repatriate nearly 5,000 Chinese nationals suspected of illicit activities. The crackdown on these global scam networks indicates the seriousness with which Beijing is addressing this issue.

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