China cracks down on cross‑border online extortion gangs in Myanmar and Cambodia

Chinese authorities have announced that they have completely dismantled major Chinese criminal gangs operating in Myanmar and Cambodia , notorious for running online extortion and telecom fraud networks that defrauded thousands worldwide.

According to a spokesperson from China’s Supreme People’s Court (SPC), the gangs targeted people in India, China, and other countries, forcing victims to part with their savings through threats and fraudulent calls. The operations were mainly based along the Thai-Myanmar border and Cambodia , preying on unsuspecting individuals with promises of high-paying jobs before coercing them into extortion schemes.

By the end of 2025, over 41,000 individuals repatriated from northern Myanmar for involvement in telecom fraud had been sentenced in Chinese courts. Among them, 16 were executed after receiving death sentences, while 39 received life imprisonment , marking the completion of judicial proceedings against the notorious Ming and Bai family gangs , two of the so-called “four major families” that dominated cross-border telecom fraud operations in northern Myanmar.

China’s state-run Global Times reported that more than 27,000 first-instance telecom fraud cases linked to northern Myanmar have now been concluded. Chinese authorities, in cooperation with Thai officials , conducted raids on the extensive criminal networks, which lured young people from multiple countries, including India, into carrying out high-pressure phone scams.

In a broader crackdown, China’s Public Security Ministry reported that 258,000 telecom fraud cases were resolved last year. Authorities intercepted 3.6 billion fraudulent calls and 3.3 billion fraudulent text messages , while freezing 21.707 billion yuan (around USD 3.1 million) in illicit funds. Currently, more than 7,600 Chinese nationals suspected of involvement in telecom fraud have been brought back to China as part of ongoing efforts to curb cross-border online crime.

This crackdown is being hailed as a major blow to organized online extortion networks in Southeast Asia, demonstrating Beijing’s continued focus on combating telecom and online fraud targeting both domestic and international victims.