Ayush Tiwari
@sighyush.bsky.social
Journalist, Scroll.in. Double-checking Indian democracy. Email: ayush@scroll.in, ayush.tiwari95@proton.me
My sources say that to avoid the crackdown, scam compounds in Phnom Penh have already moved people and equipment to remote provinces overnight. They will not stop.
And as China and ASEAN negotiate this crackdown, I hope
India too has a say in the matter.
And as China and ASEAN negotiate this crackdown, I hope
India too has a say in the matter.
February 26, 2025 at 2:01 PM
My sources say that to avoid the crackdown, scam compounds in Phnom Penh have already moved people and equipment to remote provinces overnight. They will not stop.
And as China and ASEAN negotiate this crackdown, I hope
India too has a say in the matter.
And as China and ASEAN negotiate this crackdown, I hope
India too has a say in the matter.
So what to make of this? Crackdown is good, but it must be total. A town like Poipet has many compounds, and they also flourish in Phnom Penh, Bavet, Sihanoukville.
Previous crackdowns by China desisted the scammers from targeting the Chinese, and so they moved on to other targets, like Indians.
Previous crackdowns by China desisted the scammers from targeting the Chinese, and so they moved on to other targets, like Indians.
February 26, 2025 at 2:01 PM
So what to make of this? Crackdown is good, but it must be total. A town like Poipet has many compounds, and they also flourish in Phnom Penh, Bavet, Sihanoukville.
Previous crackdowns by China desisted the scammers from targeting the Chinese, and so they moved on to other targets, like Indians.
Previous crackdowns by China desisted the scammers from targeting the Chinese, and so they moved on to other targets, like Indians.
Even better, on Feb 24, there was a police raid on a scam compound in Poipet, Cambodia. This is one of the ground zeroes of the 'digital arrest' scams targeting Indians.
48 Indians were rescued. More on the way. Pictures released by the Cambodian police. bangkokpost.com/thailand/gen...
48 Indians were rescued. More on the way. Pictures released by the Cambodian police. bangkokpost.com/thailand/gen...
February 26, 2025 at 2:01 PM
Even better, on Feb 24, there was a police raid on a scam compound in Poipet, Cambodia. This is one of the ground zeroes of the 'digital arrest' scams targeting Indians.
48 Indians were rescued. More on the way. Pictures released by the Cambodian police. bangkokpost.com/thailand/gen...
48 Indians were rescued. More on the way. Pictures released by the Cambodian police. bangkokpost.com/thailand/gen...
Hundreds more have been rescued since the crackdown following Xing's abduction last month.
133 as of Feb 11 from Myanmar alone: x.com/IndiainMyanm...
And 50 from the golden triangle in Laos last week: x.com/IndianEmbLao...
133 as of Feb 11 from Myanmar alone: x.com/IndiainMyanm...
And 50 from the golden triangle in Laos last week: x.com/IndianEmbLao...
India in Myanmar on X: "8 more Indian nationals trapped in Myawaddy scam centers, out of a group of 19 foreigners, were deported to Mae Sot, Thailand today. So far 133 Indian nationals have been released. We reaffirm our advice against job offers in the area. @MEAIndia @ProtectorGenGOI @diaspora_india https://t.co/FJx4EhvduD" / X
8 more Indian nationals trapped in Myawaddy scam centers, out of a group of 19 foreigners, were deported to Mae Sot, Thailand today. So far 133 Indian nationals have been released. We reaffirm our advice against job offers in the area. @MEAIndia @ProtectorGenGOI @diaspora_india https://t.co/FJx4EhvduD
x.com
February 26, 2025 at 2:01 PM
Hundreds more have been rescued since the crackdown following Xing's abduction last month.
133 as of Feb 11 from Myanmar alone: x.com/IndiainMyanm...
And 50 from the golden triangle in Laos last week: x.com/IndianEmbLao...
133 as of Feb 11 from Myanmar alone: x.com/IndiainMyanm...
And 50 from the golden triangle in Laos last week: x.com/IndianEmbLao...
More than 2,300 Indians have been rescued from these scam compounds since 2022.
They were forced to scam fellow Indians from these militarised, fully surveilled scam compounds.
We met them and told their stories here:
scroll.in/article/1078...
They were forced to scam fellow Indians from these militarised, fully surveilled scam compounds.
We met them and told their stories here:
scroll.in/article/1078...
The scammers who got scammed: How jobless Indians were lured into cyber slavery
Promised high-paying jobs, they were imprisoned in high-rises, forced to take on fake identities and dupe their victims.
scroll.in
February 26, 2025 at 2:01 PM
More than 2,300 Indians have been rescued from these scam compounds since 2022.
They were forced to scam fellow Indians from these militarised, fully surveilled scam compounds.
We met them and told their stories here:
scroll.in/article/1078...
They were forced to scam fellow Indians from these militarised, fully surveilled scam compounds.
We met them and told their stories here:
scroll.in/article/1078...
Back to Xing. He was rescued, but his abduction sent a ripple across Southeast Asia.
China and Thailand launched a crackdown on scam compounds run by the syndicates, especially in the notorious town of Myawaddy in Myanmar. 10,000 were freed.
www.theguardian.com/world/2025/f...
China and Thailand launched a crackdown on scam compounds run by the syndicates, especially in the notorious town of Myawaddy in Myanmar. 10,000 were freed.
www.theguardian.com/world/2025/f...
Thousands rescued from illegal scam compounds in Myanmar as Thailand launches huge crackdown
Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos have become havens for criminal syndicates operating online scam operations and tricking thousands into enslaved work
www.theguardian.com
February 26, 2025 at 2:01 PM
Back to Xing. He was rescued, but his abduction sent a ripple across Southeast Asia.
China and Thailand launched a crackdown on scam compounds run by the syndicates, especially in the notorious town of Myawaddy in Myanmar. 10,000 were freed.
www.theguardian.com/world/2025/f...
China and Thailand launched a crackdown on scam compounds run by the syndicates, especially in the notorious town of Myawaddy in Myanmar. 10,000 were freed.
www.theguardian.com/world/2025/f...
The global proceeds of this scam industry stands at $75 billion. In 2024, they stole $1.3 billion from Indians alone.
They did this through a range of scams, including their most terrifying invention – the 'digital arrest' scam. More on that later.
They did this through a range of scams, including their most terrifying invention – the 'digital arrest' scam. More on that later.
February 26, 2025 at 2:01 PM
The global proceeds of this scam industry stands at $75 billion. In 2024, they stole $1.3 billion from Indians alone.
They did this through a range of scams, including their most terrifying invention – the 'digital arrest' scam. More on that later.
They did this through a range of scams, including their most terrifying invention – the 'digital arrest' scam. More on that later.
A word on the syndicates. As @scroll.in reported this month, cross-border cyber crime syndicates in Southeast Asia mushroomed during the pandemic.
They have the support of the most powerful politicians and military leaders in the region.
scroll.in/article/1078...
They have the support of the most powerful politicians and military leaders in the region.
scroll.in/article/1078...
India’s cyber-scam epidemic is part of a multibillion global industry. This series traces a full arc
Essential background on how the online scam industry sprung up and evolved – and how Indians became its targets.
scroll.in
February 26, 2025 at 2:01 PM
A word on the syndicates. As @scroll.in reported this month, cross-border cyber crime syndicates in Southeast Asia mushroomed during the pandemic.
They have the support of the most powerful politicians and military leaders in the region.
scroll.in/article/1078...
They have the support of the most powerful politicians and military leaders in the region.
scroll.in/article/1078...
Alarmed, the Chinese government scrambled to rescue Xing. It brought Myanmar and Thailand to the table and within days, struck a consensus to crack down on the syndicates. Laos and Cambodia also joined the talks.
www.reuters.com/world/asia-p...
www.reuters.com/world/asia-p...
China, Myanmar, Thailand reach consensus to eradicate telecom fraud centres
Officials from China, Myanmar, Thailand reached a consensus on eradicating telecommunication fraud centres in Myanmar on Tuesday during a meeting in the Chinese city of Kunming, said China's national broadcaster.
www.reuters.com
February 26, 2025 at 2:01 PM
Alarmed, the Chinese government scrambled to rescue Xing. It brought Myanmar and Thailand to the table and within days, struck a consensus to crack down on the syndicates. Laos and Cambodia also joined the talks.
www.reuters.com/world/asia-p...
www.reuters.com/world/asia-p...
It turns out that Xing had become a victim of one of the world's most notorious human trafficking and cyber crime syndicates, run by Chinese gangsters across Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos.
They have trafficked and trapped 220,000 people, according to the UN. This includes thousands of Indians.
They have trafficked and trapped 220,000 people, according to the UN. This includes thousands of Indians.
February 26, 2025 at 2:01 PM
It turns out that Xing had become a victim of one of the world's most notorious human trafficking and cyber crime syndicates, run by Chinese gangsters across Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos.
They have trafficked and trapped 220,000 people, according to the UN. This includes thousands of Indians.
They have trafficked and trapped 220,000 people, according to the UN. This includes thousands of Indians.
Once the actor went inactive, his anxious girlfriend published an SOS on Weibo.
Panic spread among the big names in Chinese cinema and many posted publicly about Xing's disappearance. There was an outcry in China.
Panic spread among the big names in Chinese cinema and many posted publicly about Xing's disappearance. There was an outcry in China.
February 26, 2025 at 2:01 PM
Once the actor went inactive, his anxious girlfriend published an SOS on Weibo.
Panic spread among the big names in Chinese cinema and many posted publicly about Xing's disappearance. There was an outcry in China.
Panic spread among the big names in Chinese cinema and many posted publicly about Xing's disappearance. There was an outcry in China.
In Jan 2025, Chinese actor Wang Xing, popularly known as Xingxing, went missing. He had travelled to Bangkok for what he believed was a movie audition.
But at the airport, Xing was stuffed into a car and driven across the Myanmar border.
But at the airport, Xing was stuffed into a car and driven across the Myanmar border.
February 26, 2025 at 2:01 PM
In Jan 2025, Chinese actor Wang Xing, popularly known as Xingxing, went missing. He had travelled to Bangkok for what he believed was a movie audition.
But at the airport, Xing was stuffed into a car and driven across the Myanmar border.
But at the airport, Xing was stuffed into a car and driven across the Myanmar border.
Crimson burhans (rhododendrons) have turned the forest red.
February 16, 2025 at 10:51 AM
Crimson burhans (rhododendrons) have turned the forest red.