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Why Southeast Asia’s online scam industry is so hard to shut down
Chen Zhi led a criminal network exploiting over 220,000 trafficked workers in Southeast Asia and scamming victims globally, with losses exceeding $10 billion in 2024, U.S. officials said.
- On Wednesday, Cambodian authorities said Chen Zhi and two other Chinese citizens were extradited to China on Tuesday; U.S. and U.K. authorities say Chen led a transnational scam network.
- Emerging from casinos and illegal gambling, scam compounds evolved into multi-tenant centers often protected by local elites after COVID-19 travel restrictions cut casino customers.
- U.N. estimates show 120,000 trafficked workers in Myanmar and 120,000 in Cambodia, while U.S. prosecutors say Chen's network scammed at least 250 Americans, with $10 billion lost in 2024.
- The raid triggered a mass flight of about 1,500 laborers into Thailand and Thai troops later demolished several structures, but activists say scam centre operators largely remain untouched.
- New scam centres continue to emerge as a United Nations report last year found scammers extracted billions using fake romances and bogus investments, recruiting labour from at least 56 countries and operating near more than 340 casinos, with reach into Africa and Latin America.
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11 Articles
11 Articles
Why is Southeast Asia still the global hub for online scam networks?
US prosecutors say Chen Zhi’s network scammed at least 250 Americans, while the US Treasury estimates $10 billion was lost to Southeast Asia-linked scams in 2024. The UN reports that around 220,000 people are forced into scam labour in Myanmar and Cambodia alone
·Mumbai, India
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Coverage Details
Total News Sources11
Leaning Left4Leaning Right2Center5Last UpdatedBias Distribution46% Center
Bias Distribution
- 46% of the sources are Center
46% Center
L 36%
C 46%
R 18%
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