Satellite Images Reveal How Suspected Scam Compounds Appear Out of Nowhere
More than two dozen suspected new scam compounds in war-torn Myanmar have been built or expanded significantly in the past six months, according to satellite images and analysis of the area reviewed by WIRED. The apparent growth of the criminal operations indicates how a purported crackdown on the sites last year did little to stop the highly lucrative scamming industry.
At least 25 alleged scamming sites have appeared in the Myawaddy region of Myanmar, close to the country's border with Thailand, since around the start of the year, according to an analysis of satellite images by the International Justice Mission, an anti-human-trafficking nonprofit. The images show how land has been flattened and swaths of forest razed, to be ultimately replaced by dozens of buildings and the infrastructure required to run scam operations at scale.
“Some were skeptical that the crackdowns last year were genuine, and this imagery shows that was...
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