An investigation details how Chinese gangs, Chinese officials, and Myanmar's Junta made Myanmar's Kokang region a key hub in the global online scam industry
Washington Post : X: @tmclaughlin3 , @shibanimahtani , @washingtonpost , @silvermanjacob , @zachabuza , and @shibanimahtani . LinkedIn: Shibani Mahtani X: Timothy McLaughlin / @tmclaughlin3 : The Myanmar junta, Kokang clans and the Chinese government, a love (hate) triangle of scams and torture: “....caged lions, tigers and bears were used to threaten workers who stepped out of line, according to a person who led a team of workers there.” https://www.washingtonpost.com/ ... Shibani Mahtani / @shibanimahtani : But in Kokang, Myanmar - one of the most notorious centers of this criminality - we found that the Myanmar junta especially, but also Chinese officials, cultivated these criminal actors, to the point they became lavishly wealthy and believed themselves untouchable [video] @washingtonpost : People all over the world are falling prey to sophisticated cyber scam operations, an estimated $3 trillion dollar global industry. Before China started to crackdown, Chinese authorities enabled key players who were involved in grave human rights violations.... [video] Jacob Silverman / @silvermanjacob : “The cryptocurrency of choice.. is Tether” https://www.washingtonpost.com/ ... Zachary Abuza / @zachabuza : An excellent deep dive into how Beijing cultivated ethnic Chinese criminal leadership of Kokang, before they got too greedy & began targeting Chinese, as the economy slowed. China has changed its tune for now, but can always put the Crime back in DIME. https://www.washingtonpost.com/ ... Shibani Mahtani / @shibanimahtani : NEW investigation: China has portrayed itself as a global crusader against cyber-scams, a $3 trillion dollar industry that has ensnared victims worldwide. It has led raids, publicized the return of criminal leaders, and claimed their operation as the “death knell” for scams [video] LinkedIn: Shibani Mahtani : Sharing our latest investigation on the deeply criminal, exploitative and sinister world of cyber scams. …