PROJECT: THE LANKALANG SCAM SYNDICATES & FORCED LABOUR OPERATIONS

Isabel Spies
Oct 14
4 min read

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Specialised Security Services monitors global crime trends to better inform the public about severe and organised threats.

This case exposes the brutal reality of large-scale, industrialised scam operations run by criminal syndicates

in lawless border regions, often using forced labour.

Understanding the scale of these operations is key to recognising why online scams are so pervasive and dangerous.

THE "SCAMDEMIC" CRIMINAL ENTERPRISE:

For years, the remote town of Laukkaing in Myanmar was transformed from a sleepy backwater into a massive, lawless hub for transnational crime.
Powerful criminal families, like the Ming family, built empires on gambling, drugs, and sophisticated online scams targeting victims globally.
The Downfall of the Ming Family Syndicate
- A lawless zone in Myanmar, developed to exploit Chinese demand for gambling and other illicit activities.
- Lucrative centres for online gambling, cryptocurrency fraud, and telecommunications scams.
- Workers were lured or trafficked into these compounds and then held against their will, forced to perpetrate scams under threat of beatings and torture.
- The criminal activities were protected by the lawless environment and involved the deaths of several civilian workers to prevent them from returning to China.
- A major crackdown led by Chinese pressure resulted in the arrest and sentencing of the Ming family.
- The family patriarch, Ming Xuechang, reportedly killed himself after his family was handed over to Chinese authorities.

KEY FACTS AND CRIMINAL ACTIVITIES:

INDUSTRIAL SCALE:
- The Ming family controlled a compound in Laukkaing holding at least 10,000 workers.
BRUTAL CONDITIONS:
- Locations like "Crouching Tiger Villa" were notorious, with workers routinely beaten and tortured.
MASSIVE PROFITS:
- Their gambling and scam operations generated billions of Yuan.
INTERNATIONAL PRESSURE:
- China, holding significant influence in the region, pressured Myanmar to act, leading to a crackdown and the handover of thousands of scam operators to Chinese police.

WHAT THESE SENTENCES MEAN:

The sentencing of 11 Ming family members to death and dozens of others to long prison terms demonstrates China's determination to crack down heavily on these border scam businesses.
It is a stark warning from a government to the criminal syndicates operating in its periphery.

HOW TO RELATE THIS TO YOUR SAFETY:

While these events occurred overseas, the scams orchestrated from these compounds targeted victims all over the world.
The "get-rich-quick" investment offers, fake crypto platforms, and other sophisticated online frauds you see daily may very well originate from such forced-labour camps.
The scale proves that online scams are not small-time crimes; they are a multi-billion-dollar industry run by violent, organised syndicates.
The use of forced labour means the person you are chatting with online may be a victim themselves, operating under duress.

HOW TO PROTECT YOURSELF:

BE SCEPTICAL OF UNVERIFIED ONLINE CONTACTS:
- Whether it is an investment offer or a friendly stranger, remember it could be part of a vast, organised criminal operation.
UNDERSTAND THE SOURCE:
- Recognise that many online scams are run from industrial-scale compounds in lawless regions. If an opportunity seems too good to be true, it is almost certainly a scam with real, violent criminals behind it.
NEVER ENGAGE:
- Do not click on links, do not invest in unregulated platforms promoted online, and do not share personal or banking details.

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This channel is important in delivering insights into the latest crime trends, awareness, warnings and the exposure of criminals.

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Regards,

Mike Bolhuis

Specialist Investigators into

Serious Violent, Serious Economic Crimes & Serious Cybercrimes

PSIRA Reg. 1590364/421949

Mobile: +27 82 447 6116

E-mail: mike@mikebolhuis.co.za

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