Mizzima
In the busy centre of Yangon, some illegal activities are happening. These activities are related to call centre scams, which were previously more common in the lawless border areas of Myanmar. But now, a report by RFA Burmese shows that these scams have also set up in Yangon.
Unlike the well-known illegal activities in areas like Shwe Kokko, which are allegedly controlled by Chinese gangsters near the Thai border in Mae Sot, these centre in Yangon looked quite different. In Yangon, they work like regular businesses and don't subject their employees to the usual mistreatment, according to RFA.
Operators in Yangon are taking advantage of cheap office spaces and the large number of educated, jobless residents.
According to RFA, getting hired is quick and easy. Young people in Yangon, attracted by online sales job ads, could land a job in just a few minutes by answering a few questions on a messaging app.
These fresh employees were directed to MMB Tower, a contemporary office complex situated in the centre of Yangon. Once there, they joined a diverse group of people from Myanmar, Laos, Vietnam, China, and Thailand, according to RFA.
By October 2022, the fifth floor of the MMB Tower, once used by Yangon Airways, was renovated and became the base for a company called Win Win International E-Commerce, which started advertising job positions on social media platforms.
Once onboard, workers were given access to various phoney social media profiles. They used these profiles to reach out to people who didn't suspect anything, engaging them in romance and financial scams.
With a monthly salary listed at 450,000 Kyat [US$220], the offer was attractive in a country where the minimum daily wage barely scraped above 4,800 Kyat.
An investigation by RFA uncovered a vast network of cyber scams, including recruiters operating in prominent places like Junction City in the commercial capital.
In related news, United Wa State Army (UWSA), a prominent ethnic militia in Myanmar, has arrested more than 1,200 Chinese nationals believed to be engaged in online scams. These arrests occurred in the Wa Self-Administered Division during raids conducted in early September.
