Today, the United States sanctioned five individuals and three entities, located in Burma and Thailand, for their involvement in forced labor compounds that carry out fraudulent investment scams online.
According to a U.S. government estimate, Americans lost at least $10 billion in 2024 to Southeast Asia-based online scam operations, a 66 percent increase from the prior year. Criminal syndicates across the region have increasingly exploited Americans online, threatening American prosperity.
This action supports today’s announcement by the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the U.S. Secret Service of the Scam Center Strike Force, dedicated to investigating, disrupting, and prosecuting scam centers and their leaders, with a focus on Burma, Cambodia, and Laos. The United States will continue to use all available tools to protect Americans from scams operating across the region and around the world.
Today’s action is being taken pursuant to the authorities under Executive Order (E.O.) 13694, as further amended, and E.O 14014. For more information on today’s action, please see the Department of the Treasury’s press release.
