China vs scam centers: 258,000 cases, mass transfers and executions

China solved 258,000 telecom fraud cases in 2025 and received 58,000 suspects from abroad. The figures behind its crackdown on Myanmar and Cambodia scam hubs.

2026-10-13

For years, Chinese citizens were among the main victims, and the main workforce, of industrial-scale scam centers along China's southern borders. Since 2023, Beijing has responded with one of the largest cross-border policing campaigns in its history: mass repatriations from Myanmar, high-profile extraditions from Cambodia, tens of thousands of prosecutions and, in 2026, executions of crime family leaders.

The numbers

Indicator	Figure	Source
Telecom and online fraud cases solved by police, 2025	258,000	Ministry of Public Security
Suspects transferred to China via international cooperation, 2025	58,000	MPS, via CGTN
People charged with telecom/online fraud, 2025	about 69,000	Supreme People's Procuratorate
Fraud cases concluded by courts, 2025	41,000 (+1.2%)	Supreme People's Court
Arrest warrants approved since 2023 (special operation)	49,000	SPP
Chinese nationals escorted back from Myawaddy, Myanmar	more than 7,600	MPS, via Global Times (Jan 2026)
"Financiers", ringleaders and key members arrested	542	MPS

At a June 12, 2026 press conference, police said reported telecom fraud cases had fallen year on year for eight consecutive months since October 2025, according to CGTN.

Myanmar: from Kokang to Myawaddy

The northern Myanmar crime families

The first major wave targeted the Kokang region of Shan State, on the Chinese border, long dominated by a handful of families. In January 2024, Myanmar authorities handed Bai Suocheng and other high-profile suspects to Chinese police, Caixin reported.

On September 29, 2025, the Wenzhou Intermediate People's Court sentenced 11 members of the Ming family syndicate to death for fraud, kidnapping and murder. China Daily reported that the group was linked to 14 Chinese deaths and to gambling and fraud proceeds above 10 billion yuan (about $1.5 billion). The 11 were executed on January 29, 2026, after approval by the Supreme People's Court. One incident cited in the case: in October 2023, guards opened fire on fraud workers being relocated, killing four Chinese nationals.

In November 2025, a Shenzhen court sentenced five members of another northern Myanmar syndicate to death; China Daily said the group was linked to six Chinese deaths and 41 compounds. One, Bay Saw Chain, died of illness after sentencing, and the remaining four were executed in early February 2026 after SPC approval.

Myawaddy and the Thai border

Attention then shifted to Myawaddy, on the Thai border, home to compounds such as KK Park. China set up a trilateral coordination mechanism with Myanmar and Thailand. From February 20, 2025, Chinese police began escorting suspects back in large batches: more than 6,600 by early December 2025, including 1,178 in the first week of December alone, according to China Daily Hong Kong, and more than 7,600 by January 2026.

Cambodia: the Chen Zhi case

Cambodia became the other front. After the US and UK sanctioned the Prince Group and US prosecutors indicted its chairman Chen Zhi in October 2025, China's Ministry of Public Security announced in January 2026 that Chen had been escorted from Phnom Penh to China. The Global Times described it as a major achievement of China-Cambodia law enforcement cooperation, and Cambodia's central bank ordered Prince Bank liquidated, citing CNA.

The prosecution pipeline

The reports submitted to the National People's Congress in March 2026 show the scale of the judicial effort. In 2025, prosecutors charged 285 people for fraud, homicide and injury against Chinese citizens committed under the protection of northern Myanmar gangs. Since the special operation began in 2023, prosecutors have approved arrest warrants for 49,000 people and prosecuted 47,000. Chinese courts have handed down 16 death sentences to members of family-run Myanmar syndicates. Police have also published wanted notices for 100 fugitive financiers and key members.

How the scam centers work

Forced labor: recruits are lured with fake job offers, then confined; US Treasury describes confiscated passports, violence and arbitrary fines.
Scripts: fake investment platforms, romance scams, fake police or customer service calls.
Money flows: proceeds move through mule accounts, underground banks and stablecoins, which is why Chinese police target "financiers" in operations named "cutting off flows" and "breaking chains".

Why the US and China are on the same side

Washington and Beijing rarely cooperate on cyber issues, but scam compounds are an exception in practice. The US Treasury estimated Americans lost at least $10 billion to Southeast Asia-based scams in 2024, while the same compounds have targeted Chinese citizens for years. US sanctions and the record bitcoin seizure in the Prince Group case were followed within months by Chen Zhi's transfer to China. Singapore, Thailand, Hong Kong and Taiwan also reported seizing or freezing Chen-linked assets, according to the Global Times.

Assessment

Chinese prosecutors say the campaign has "effectively deterred" cross-border fraud offenders. Independent observers point out that compounds have displaced to new locations and that many workers are themselves trafficking victims. Both can be true: pressure has disrupted the biggest hubs, but the business model, based on cheap coerced labor and hard-to-trace crypto, adapts quickly.

How to protect yourself

Be wary of overseas job offers with high pay, vague duties and travel paid by the employer, especially to border regions of Myanmar, Cambodia or Laos.
Never trust investment tips from people met online, however long the relationship.
Hang up on anyone claiming to be police or a bank and asking you to move money; call the institution back on an official number.
Report suspected trafficking or fraud to local police and to your country's embassy.