Over the weekend,Deborah Driggs Archives we covered the rise of "wrong person" scam texts — seemingly innocent messages that evolve into full-blown crypto cons. And across the U.S., drivers are getting E-ZPass toll road scam texts in droves. Now, we have a clearer picture of where these types of scam texts are coming from.
On Monday, May 5, the U.S. Treasury Department announced sanctions against Myanmar warlord Saw Chit Thu and his two sons, accusing them of facilitating massive cyberfraud and human trafficking networks. According to the Treasury, Saw Chit Thu and his militia, the Karen National Army, oversaw multibillion-dollar crypto scam operations built on forced labor targeting Americans.
"The KNA profits from cyber scam schemes on an industrial scale by leasing land it controls to other organized crime groups, and providing support for human trafficking, smuggling, and the sale of utilities used to provide energy to scam operations," the U.S. Treasury reported.
In the Treasury's statement, the department claimed that Americans lost about $3.5 billion in 2023 to such scams.
Saw Chit Thu leads the Karen National Army, a militia based in Myanmar’s Kayin State. The army controls territory in a so-called "Special Economic Zone" near the Thai border. In this zone, the group has leased land and provided protection to transnational criminal organizations running "scam compounds" — heavily guarded facilities where trafficked workers are forced to carry out online fraud, according to U.S. Treasury officials.
The Treasury says the scam compounds primarily focus on crypto scams.
"Scammers present victims with hints of a wealthy, glamorous lifestyle and induce them to 'invest' in bogus cryptocurrency and trading platforms controlled by the scammers themselves. Victims are shown fake 'returns' on their investments and duped into investing greater and greater sums until the scammers go silent after stealing everything they can from their victims," reads a press release from the Treasury.
The sanctions will freeze any U.S.-based assets held by Saw Chit Thu or his sons and prohibit American individuals or entities from doing business with them. The U.K. and European Union had already sanctioned the group.
Additionally, the Treasury announced plans to sanction a Cambodia-based network accused of laundering money for North Korean cybercriminals. The group is also linked to pig-butchering scams and other fraud operations across Southeast Asia, per Bloomberg.
Have a story to share about a scam or security breach that impacted you? Tell us about it. Email [email protected]with the subject line "Safety Net" or use this form.Someone from Mashable will get in touch.
Topics Cybersecurity
Put Me In, Coach!
Best Black Friday doorbuster gaming Laptop deal: $370 off HP Victus
Best ANC earbuds deal: Save $70 on Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds
Apple AirPods Pro 2 deal: Get 32% off at Best Buy
10 Tech Predictions for 2017
Best Black Friday doorbuster TV deal: Save $200 on Samsung 75
NYT Connections hints and answers for November 8: Tips to solve 'Connections' #516.
Best portable monitor deal: 51% off KRK GoAux 4
This fat bear's before and after photos are stunning
The world's best
A Typical Wall Street Republican
NYT mini crossword answers for November 6
NYT mini crossword answers for November 7
NYT Connections hints and answers for November 8: Tips to solve 'Connections' #516.
Operation Mensch
What's new to streaming this week? (Nov. 7, 2024)
How to unblock Pornhub for free
Best starting word for 'Wordle': How to step up your game
The Sound and the “Furious”
PS5 Pro reviews: Top 3 complaints about the new console
Ad company claims its using 'voice data' to target customersHow to watch GA Southern vs. Ohio football livestreams: kickoff time, streaming deals, and moreThe best Cyber Monday deals on air purifiers: Shark, Dyson, Blueair, and moreHarold Bloom’s Immortality by Lucas ZwirnerMeta apparently rejects period care ads for being adult or politicalHarold Bloom, 1930–2019 by The Paris ReviewThe Jets, the Bills, and the Art of Losing by Rowan Ricardo Phillips'Carol and the End of the World' review: Existential dread has never been so sweet'Barbie' review: Bonkers, bold, and a bit of a miracleThe Intelligence of Plants by Cody DelistratyA Change in the Climate by Michel FaberHow to change the background of your Instagram StoriesThe Jets, the Bills, and the Art of Losing by Rowan Ricardo PhillipsThe Intelligence of Plants by Cody DelistratyHow to watch ODU vs. WKU football livestreams: kickoff time, streaming deals, and moreStaff Picks: Ducks, Dubs, and Dung by The Paris ReviewCooking with Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa by Valerie StiversOn Line: The Pulse of Agnes Martin by John VinclerThe State Of Satire by Matthew BakerStaff Picks: Metaphors, Messengers, and Melancholy by The Paris Review Behold this Alexa Intel has a huge tablet that folds into an all Samsung's Galaxy S10 Lite and Note10 Lite look pretty damn good in person Tom Hanks' Golden Globe speech made absolutely everyone cry Lenovo's ThinkBook Plus has an E Ink display that might make you rethink pen and paper Stator's big Golden Globes: Kate McKinnon honors Ellen DeGeneres in tearful speech Pray for the Cadbury social media manager who's frantically fending off trolls Michelle Obama to debut IGTV series about the first year of college Lyft's 'anti I tried this $13,000 gamer chair to see if it'd make me a Real Gamer Jason Momoa, we see you wearing a tank top at the Golden Globes Japan moves closer to acceptance, with another city recognising same Sonos sues Google for allegedly stealing patented tech Airbnb's on a problematic world tour to make your landlord like them Cute grandparents are devoted to 2 things: Each other and In Byton adds voice AI to its massive screen dashboard LG's AI 99 very good names to give your house plants 50% off QuickBooks Self
2.3137s , 10131.6171875 kb
Copyright © 2025 Powered by 【Deborah Driggs Archives】,Exquisite Information Network