A new report from the United Nations says that the online scammers and fraudsters operating across Asia are basing themselves more in Myanmar.

The cybercrime gangs from China and Taiwan are based in the Mekong region countries and Philippines and they are committing intimidation, coercion, frauds, blackmailing and making investments, by using the internet.

This report also says that the victims of these cybercrime syndicates are forced to work in their scams and frauds in the places which are inaccessible to the security agencies and they have little chance to escape from the clutches of these gangs.

Regional representative of UNODC Jeremy Douglas said that these transnational crime syndicates are very strong in the places where the rule of law and law enforcement are weakened.

The report pointed out that there were crackdowns on cybercrimes in Cambodia and Philippines but in Myanmar which was plagued with conflict, these cybercrime syndicates were growing under the protection of some armed groups.

Most of these cybercrime gangs are based in Shwe Kokko in Myawaddy on the Thai border and some are based in the Wa and Kokang self-administered divisions.

There are many well educated youths among the victims of the cybercrime syndicates and they were lured and cheated with the offer of a handsome salary and good jobs by these gangs.

The report says that the victims have to ask the help from the families, embassies and NGOs for their rescue when they realize they were cheated.

China and some ASEAN countries have agreed to resolve this fraud and scam crisis.

A report issued by the UN in August says that there are hundreds of thousands of victims of these cybercrime networks based in Southeast Asian countries and these victims are forced to work for these gangs under conditions of torture and intimidation.

There are over 120,000 victims of these cybercrime syndicates in Myanmar alone and about 100,000 more are forced to work for these gangs in Cambodia, the report says.

The cybercrime syndicates from China are spreading in the Asia-Pacific region and they are reportedly establishing networks in Philippines, Australia and Singapore too.

US Institute for Peace (USIP) Country Director of Burma Mr. Jason Tower said that the investments made by these cybercrime syndicate networks were in the billions of dollars.

The United Wa State Army (UWSA) and Chinese Police jointly launched an operation in early September this year and they were able to arrest 11 cybercrime syndicate personnel who cheated people out of US$ 22.5 million.

In these raids, UWSA could arrest 269 people of which 186 were Chinese nationals and they were deported to China.

The Xinhua News reported by citing the Chinese Public Security Department that Myanmar handed over 1,207 cybercrime suspects including 41 fugitives to China.