Myanmar hands over to China thousands of telecoms fraud suspects
- Myanmar authorities handed over 31,000 telecoms fraud suspects to China since law enforcement officers from both countries launched a crackdown on online scams
- Suspects included 63 ‘financiers’ and ringleaders of crime syndicates that cheated Chinese citizens of large sums of money, the Ministry of Public Security said
The suspects included 63 “financiers” and ringleaders of crime syndicates that have cheated Chinese citizens of large sums of money, the Ministry of Public Security said in a statement.
“The crackdown has achieved significant battle results,” the ministry said.
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China's telecoms fraud crackdown with Myanmar may help workers trapped in scam rooms
More than 100,000 people engage in telecoms fraud each day in at least 1,000 scam centres in Myanmar, which shares a border with southwest China, Chinese state media has reported.
Chinese police started to crack down on the fraud in September and this month, police launched what they said were “swift attacks” on crime gangs in Myanmar.
The Myanmar ringleader of a gang committed suicide last week while on the run from Myanmar authorities, Chinese police said. Three members of his gang were later handed over to Chinese police.
With telecoms scams in Myanmar targeting Chinese citizens surging, Assistant Foreign Minister Nong Rong visited Myanmar this month, saying China was ready to work with Myanmar on tackling cross-border crime including online gambling.