Thailand has decided to cut off Internet and phone service to northeastern Myanmar to protect itself from more than 30 call centres in the region.
Thailand’s National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission has decided to cut off internet and telephone connections to northeastern Myanmar for security reasons, reports Business News Thailand.
Shwe Kokko is a town in Kayin State in southeastern Myanmar. It is located on the left-western bank of the Moei River near the Thai town of Mae Sot, 20 kilometres north of Myawaddy.
Crime and online fraud related to call centres have skyrocketed in Shwe Kokko over the past few years. Fraud schemes started in the town with the arrival of casinos in late 2010 and then escalated into massive fraud from multiple call centres over the phone and the Internet.
Shwe Kokko has become a hub for organised crime and human trafficking due to the Burmese government’s limited reach and oversight in this remote area. Therefore, the town has gradually become a hub for casinos, call centres, online fraud and illegal activities.
Measures have been taken to cut off telephone and internet services due to the large number of online scams in Thailand originating from the region.
An official from Thailand’s Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission told Burma’s Voice of America service that internet and telephone services between Thailand and Shwe Kokko town in Myanmar’s Kayin state have been suspended due to massive frauds carried out by criminal gangs.
A local resident said that at least 30 call centres are operating in the town, running illegal scams in activities related to drug trafficking, prostitution and gambling, targeting mainly Americans and Europeans through SMS messages and phone calls.
From 2023 to now, illegal online operations in Southeast Asia have seen significant growth. A recent report by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime states that various fraudulent schemes are on the rise in the Mekong region, including call centres, online casinos, prostitution, drug trafficking and other types of fraud.
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