Mastodawn

Zecharias Zelalem

Hello fediverse friends.

For The Globe and Mail newspaper, I've spent the last four months hearing from survivors of Myanmar's infamous scam compounds. Run by Chinese criminal syndicates with the collaboration of at least one Burmese pro-junta militia, the camps are staffed by trafficking victims, including a growing number of Africans who are beaten, electrocuted and raped if they don't meet scamming targets. They aren't paid for their efforts.

My story is published.

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/world/article-africans-scam-camps-myanmar-scamming-rings-asia/

Africans are being confined and beaten in scam camps in Myanmar

Migrants toil for long hours on social-media platforms, targeting people with crypto and romance scams

The Globe and Mail

Zecharias Zelalem Feb 17

Since 2021, a coup induced civil war, and the pandemic have created a booming scamming industry based out of Myanmar. Hundreds of scam compounds have since sprouted up, typically along the Burmese-Thai border. They target westerners with cryptocurrency and romance scams. But they are staffed by trafficked people from across Asia and Africa, who travel to Thailand believing they will be hired at well paying tech jobs in Bangkok...before being driven across the border where their ordeal begins.

Zecharias Zelalem Feb 17

Chinese scam camp operators in Myanmar have tortured and even murdered victims. But Meseret Mulu, a 27 year old Ethiopian woman, told me that at one point, the criminals brought in fighters from the DKBA (Democratic Karen Benevolent Army), a Burmese militia group allied with the junta...to come in and torture her, by stripping her naked and forcing her to spend hours in searing heat.

Warring factions take a cut to allow Chinese mafia gangs to open camps in their territory.

Zecharias Zelalem Feb 17

The criminals operate in Myanmar, because it's too dangerous for them to do so in China. Last month, 11 Chinese operators of Burmese scam camps were executed in China.

Thailand tries to curb activities, including by shutting off internet to border villages where the scam camps are located.

How have the criminals reconnected to the web in response to this? Via good old Elon Musk. Starlink is among the biggest internet providers to Southeast Asian scamming compounds.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cx2gdrvy9gjo

China executes 11 members of Myanmar scam mafia

China executes 11 members of the Ming family that ran scam centres in Myanmar, state media report.

Zecharias Zelalem Feb 17

India, the Philippines and China are prompt to repatriate their nationals. But African states do not do so. As such, Africans are becoming disproportionately targeted by Chinese criminal orgs knowing that little will be done to rescue them.

Africans who escape Myanmar can expect to spend lengthy stints in Thai immigration jail until they get the money for airfare/fines.

The UN itself is low on money, & issued a call last year for some $2.5M to fly home 1,000 survivors.
https://roasiapacific.iom.int/news/iom-urgently-seeks-usd-25-million-repatriate-victims-trafficking-forced-criminality-stranded-along-thai-myanmar-border

IOM Urgently Seeks USD 2.5 Million to Repatriate Victims of Trafficking for Forced Criminality Stranded along Thai-Myanmar Border

Bangkok, Thailand — The International Organization for Migration (IOM) is urgently appealing for USD 2.5 million to facilitate the safe and dignified return and reintegration of around 1,000 presumed victims of trafficking (VoTs) for the purpose of forced criminality. These individuals have been stranded along Thai-Myanmar border since February 2025, after escaping exploitative cyber scamming compounds in Myanmar.

Zecharias Zelalem Feb 17

Here are some samples of AI generated ads used by criminals in Myanmar to prey on desperate, unemployed job seekers across Asia and Africa. "Typing speed" is a giveaway, they want people who can learn preprepared scam scripts with ease. The always pretend the job is in Thailand or Cambodia, knowing that nobody would agree to travel to war-torn Myanmar. The ordeal begins when they are picked up at airports in these countries...then driven into Myanmar. Meta and Telegram are part of the problem.

Zecharias Zelalem Feb 17

The UN estimates that over 120,000 people have been trafficked to scam camps in Myanmar since 2021, and endured various forms of exploitation and torture. It has become a billion dollar industry, with the scams targeting vulnerable people in Europe and North America.

Thai NGOs meanwhile, bravely coordinate rescues, negotiate with border guards to arrange the transfer of victims back to Thailand. But they are swamped and have limited means.

Zecharias Zelalem Feb 17

If you're in the western world, learn more about what's behind the spammy, sometimes flirty, text messages from unknown numbers crowding up your Messages app. In Canada, it is very common and receiving daily scam texts isn't unheard of for many people.

If you're in Africa, warn friends and family about the dangers of job offers from Southeast Asia that seem too good to be true. Murders have been reported at these camps. Social media companies will not act or remove posts, so spread the word!

Zecharias Zelalem Feb 17

While the degree of suffering differs, this phenomenon causes universal suffering to victims from around the world, from the US to Kenya, from the UK to Uganda.

Hope to share some more of my findings with you in the coming days. If you went through yet another long thread of mine all the way to thisnpoint, thank you your time is appreciated🙏🏿

Story dropped on Sunday. If you're in Canada, the story will be available in tomorrow morning's newspaper.

Yours,
-ZZ.

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/world/article-africans-scam-camps-myanmar-scamming-rings-asia/

Africans are being confined and beaten in scam camps in Myanmar

Migrants toil for long hours on social-media platforms, targeting people with crypto and romance scams

The Globe and Mail

oldguycrusty Feb 20

@ZekuZelalem I know it may be a ridiculous detail to focus on among the horror of the whole thing, but what's with the exceptions on the nationality?

Zecharias Zelalem Feb 17

@oblomov I asked. In Cambodia, apparently authorities at the airport are very likely to follow and stop arriving Nigerians, Pakistanis and Ethiopians, because too many people of these nationalities have been trafficking victims. The criminals likely want to avoid certain nationalities to reduce the risk they face of getting followed, spotted and then jailed by Cambodian police on trafficking charges.

Raven667 Feb 17

@ZekuZelalem @oblomov its good that the Cambodian authorities are putting pressure on them, its too bad they dont have more effextive criteria than nationality to spot potential victims

Chaucerburnt Feb 19

@oblomov @ZekuZelalem I was wondering the same, thanks for asking!

Zecharias Zelalem Feb 19

@chaucerburnt @oblomov yes it's a legitimate question, nothing ridiculous about it at all!

@ZekuZelalem now I'm curious about why they exclude for example Nigerians or Pakistanis

Zecharias Zelalem Feb 17

@sabrinaweb71 I asked. In Cambodia, apparently authorities at the airport are very likely to follow, stop and question arriving Nigerians, Pakistanis and Ethiopians, because too many people of these nationalities have been trafficking victims. The criminals likely want to avoid certain nationalities to reduce the risk they face of getting followed, spotted and then jailed by Cambodian police on trafficking charges.

Julian Schwarzenbach Feb 17

@ZekuZelalem Why the exclusion of people from Pakistan, Ethiopia and Nigeria?

Julian Schwarzenbach Feb 17

@ZekuZelalem Sorry, just seen answers above - don't need to reply again!

@ZekuZelalem Wow. This reads so discriminatory. Based on your response, I might be wrong in my assumption of wanting to avoid folks with accents that might be too common to get as good results with phone scams.

But the difference in age ranges for women versus men…

I’d want to believe these would be red flags, but if it’s common in your life (or you’re desperate), I guess not? ☹️

Zecharias Zelalem Feb 21

@helianthropy no you are not wrong. Racism and ageism is common at these places. But what standards could we expect with a bunch of murderous bloodthirsty rapists and human traffickers? Sadly, as you point out, desperation for better prospects leads to many ignoring red flags.

John Faithfull 🌍🇪🇺🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🧡✊🏻✊🏿Feb 17

@ZekuZelalem 😭🤬

LukefromDC Feb 17

@ZekuZelalem Very satisfying to see those 11 slavers rotting in their graves, but this is NOT who China (or anyone else) usually executes. My guess is they enslaved too many Chinese citizens, forcing the government to make a token gesture.

Zecharias Zelalem Feb 18

@LukefromDC Your assessment is accurate. Chinese victims have been trafficked and even murdered. One particular case in which an actual celebrity, a Chinese actor was trafficked to Myanmar provoked a lot of outrage in China and demands for accountability. As you imply, I also don't believe Chinese justice would be as robust if the victims were solely Africans.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/jan/14/wang-xing-chinese-actor-abduction-thailand-myanmar-scam-ntwnfb

A kidnapped Chinese actor, a scam gang, and a very public rescue operation

Wang Xing was abducted in Thailand by increasingly bold crime gangs operating in Myanmar, putting an entire tourism industry at risk

The Guardian

Jenica Lake เหล็ถเลถ Feb 17

@ZekuZelalem what are your thoughts on meta's involvement in the coup?

Zecharias Zelalem Feb 17

@MamaLake I'll be frank with you, I'm not as informed on Meta enabling the coup. I am aware of Meta's role however, in amplifying hate speech and facilitating genocide of the Rohingya in 🇲🇲years earlier

Jenica Lake เหล็ถเลถ Feb 17

@ZekuZelalem thanks for that honesty, I've got a hunch that they've been stoking the fires for this for a long time.

Jenica Lake เหล็ถเลถ Feb 17

@ZekuZelalem and thank you for reporting on this!

Weird Socks Feb 17

@ZekuZelalem
I love when you drop big stories like this.
Good work!

Zecharias Zelalem Feb 17

@ohmu been a busy few months! Hope to drop a bombshell later this week...currently crossing ts...wrapping up

Deb Nam-Krane Feb 17

@ZekuZelalem Thank you. I had no idea of the scale of #humantrafficking in Myanmar

@dnkboston @ZekuZelalem same. I knew this kind of thing happened but not the scale.

@dnkboston @ZekuZelalem great reporting though!

Krautdragon [ Art ]Feb 17

@ZekuZelalem When I learned of this reality I stopped insulting scammers...

@ZekuZelalem
I wonder how many camp like these around the world are going to be filled with the people that the conservative ICE troops are kidnapping in the USA right now. It seems that the USA is or will be a leading people trafficking source.