In a bold move amidst mounting international pressure, Myanmar’s government has sanctioned the death penalty for internet scammers. This decision comes merely months following the FBI’s extensive $8 billion enforcement action targeting scam networks originating from the nation, as reported by state-run media outlets.
The legislation, officially known as the Anti-Online Scam Law, passed through Myanmar’s parliament on Tuesday. This law authorizes capital punishment for individuals partaking in any fraud that involves acts of violence, torture, unlawful arrests or detention, or any other form of cruel treatment. The Global New Light of Myanmar, a publication jointly managed by a private firm and the nation’s Ministry of the Interior, detailed these provisions in their report.
Myanmar, also referred to as Burma, has emerged as a hub for online scams, with nefarious players luring migrants across Asia under the guise of legitimate employment. These victims are often coerced into scam operations, confined, and stripped of freedom.
Back in May, the FBI announced a significant operation against a criminal faction in Myanmar, known as the “Democratic Karen Benevolent Army.” This effort led to the seizure of 127,000 Bitcoin, equating to a staggering $8 billion value by July of that year.
Multinational victims ensnared by these scam centers, who were deceived or trafficked to work in Myanmar, are pictured aboard a boat journeying towards the Thai border across the Moei River in Thailand’s Phop Phra District, Tak province, on February 12, 2025. (Reuters/Krit Phromsakla Na Sakolnakorn)
The scammers, who allegedly have ties to Chinese organized crime, had been specifically targeting Americans in their operations, extracting over $3 million from one elderly American, the FBI previously told News Media.
In 2025, Chinese, Thai and Burmese authorities liberated more than 7,000 people from locked compounds in Burma.
Victims of scam centers, who were tricked or trafficked into working in Myanmar, at a compound inside the KK Park, a human trafficking hub on the border with Thailand-Myanmar, in Myawaddy, Myanmar, Feb. 26, 2025. (Reuters/Stringer)
While the new Anti-Online Scam Law only mandates the death penalty for offenses that lead to another person’s death, the law mandates 10 years in prison for any instance of forced labor in relation to cybercrime.
The law’s approval also comes two days before the United Nations International Organization for Migration’s World Day Against Trafficking in Persons. This year the international body will commemorate the day on July 30 under the theme “Trapped Behind the Scam.”
People from various countries, who were working in the KK Park compound in Myanmar cross over to Thailand, as seen from Mae Sot District, Tak Province area on Oct. 24, 2025. (Sarot Meksophawannakul/Thai News Pix/AFP via Getty Images)
“People trapped in scam compounds are victims of trafficking, forced to commit crimes through violence, threats and coercion. They deserve protection, not punishment,” IOM Director General Amy Pope said in a statement. “We must work together to support survivors, stop traffickers and close the gaps these criminal networks exploit. No country can tackle this alone.”
The United Nations estimates that South Pacific scams resulted in the loss of over $114 billion in 2025.