Cybercrime: 772 individuals suspected of online scams arrested in Laos

Hibapress

A joint Sino-Lao law enforcement operation has arrested 772 individuals of different nationalities suspected of involvement in online fraud operations, the Lao Ministry of Public Security announced Thursday.

This is one of the largest operations ever carried out in the region, with the aim of neutralizing a cybercrime network that had set up in the Special Economic Zone (SEZ), bordering Burma and Thailand, in the Laotian province of Bokeo, the department stressed.

According to local media, the suspects include 489 men and 282 women of 15 nationalities, mostly from Laos, Burma, China, India, Indonesia, the Philippines, as well as some African countries.

After their arrest, the Laotian nationals were given warnings and sent back to their villages, while the Chinese were handed over to their country’s authorities. As for the other nationalities, they were handed over to their respective embassies.

In early August, a joint operation led by Laos and Vietnam in the SEZ resulted in the arrest of several criminals involved in online fraud and human trafficking in the SEZ.

A report by the think tank Crisis Group recently warned that the SEZ has seen a rapid proliferation of all sorts of illicit activities including drug trafficking and money laundering since its creation in 2007.