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The Treasury Department says Americans have lost more than $16.6 billion to an online scam industry rooted in Southeast Asia, where compounds relying on forced labor flourished during the pandemic. Fraud rings use “pig butchering,” romance ploys, and phone ruses, deploying native speakers trafficked from China and beyond. Many operate from special economic zones in Cambodia, Laos, and Myanmar along Thailand’s border, drawing on Thai power and transit. Despite sanctions and rescue flights, and actions including Thai utility cuts and Chinese death sentences, experts warn dismantling the criminal syndicates will require far more work.

Prepared by Emily Rhodes and reviewed by editorial team.