Colonel Saw Chit Thu added to U.S. Treasury sanctions list
113
Phyo (NP News)
The United States Treasury Department has imposed sanctions on individuals associated with the online scam across Southeast Asia, including Colonel Saw Chit Thu, a colonel of the Kayin Border Guard Force (BGF).
The U.S. Treasury Department said the sanctions included nine targets operating in Myanmar's Shwe Kokko.
“Southeast Asia’s cyber scam industry not only threatens the well-being and financial security of Americans, but also subjects thousands of people to modern slavery,” said Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence John K. Hurley.
He added, “In 2024, unsuspecting Americans lost over $10 billion due to Southeast Asia-based scams and under President Trump and Secretary Bessent’s leadership, Treasury will deploy the full weight of its tools to combat organized financial crime and protect Americans from the extensive damage these scams can cause.”
The U.S. has sanctioned 19 individuals and businesses in Southeast Asia, including Saw Chit Thu, accusing them of operating scam centers that exploit forced labor to defraud Americans of billions of dollars.
The Yatai Town in Shwe Kokko, Myawaddy Township, is a prominent cyber fraud site, allegedly created by Saw Chit Thu and She Zhijiang from BGF. It is reported that Shwe Kokko, a town on the Moray River, has become a haven for gambling, drug trafficking, and fraud from people around the world in the past eight years. –