Myanmar's parliament has passed a law to combat online fraud, which provides for the death penalty for kidnapping, illegal detention, torture, and other violence with the aim of forcing a person to work in scam centers.
The maximum penalty of life imprisonment is also provided for managing scam centers and fraud involving cryptocurrencies.
In recent years, Myanmar has become one of the largest centers of online fraud in Asia. International organizations have reported on criminal networks that hold people in closed compounds and force them to participate in fraudulent schemes, including scams involving cryptocurrency investments.
In late 2025, it was reported that a transnational criminal network operates in a number of Asian countries, recruiting foreigners, including Russians, under the pretext of employment in Thailand. After passing an "online interview," some Russian citizens were invited to Bangkok, from where they were illegally transported to Myanmar, bypassing official border checkpoints.
In 2025, the U.S. Treasury Department imposed sanctions against companies in Myanmar and Cambodia linked to such schemes. According to the FBI, losses from cryptocurrency fraud last year reached $11.4 billion.
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