MYAWADDY — At least 25 alleged scamming sites have appeared in the Myawaddy region of Myanmar since around the start of the year, according to satellite image analysis by the International Justice Mission. The emergence of these facilities indicates a resurgence of scam operations despite prior crackdowns in the area.

Satellite images show land has been flattened and swaths of forest razed to be replaced by buildings and infrastructure for scam operations. Large numbers of trees have been cleared to make space for buildings, with roads and what may be houses being built around the sites.

"Some were skeptical that the crackdowns last year were genuine, and this imagery shows that was correct," said Eric Heintz, global analyst at the International Justice Mission. Heintz noted that while previous enforcement actions disrupted operations, the scale of new construction appears sufficient to absorb those losses.

"While that crackdown did disrupt operations, the scale of these new developments appears to be more than enough to absorb what was destroyed last year," Heintz said. The pace of construction is significant, with some sites transitioning from empty fields to operational compounds in a couple months.

Satellite images show around 24 buildings appearing at one site between January and April. Clusters of large buildings, which are likely to be accommodation for trafficking victims, have appeared on many of the sites. The layout of these compounds match what has been seen in the 30-plus other larger compounds in the area, according to Heintz.

he stated that many of the newly identified sites are in remote locations and would likely not have any other use in the region. Some new and expanding compounds identified by Heintz were first noted in June.

Tech data shows a variety of foreign internet service providers are associated with the locations of the new compounds. Heintz has previously used data from the mobile advertising industry to analyze devices and internet service providers used at known scam compounds in Myanmar. A previous investigation found at least eight compounds in the Myawaddy region appearing to use Starlink devices. US law enforcement officials ordered the seizure of Starlink terminals used at some compounds.

Scam compounds in Southeast Asia are often operated by Chinese organized crime groups. These compounds are involved in stealing billions of dollars through cryptocurrency and romance scams targeting victims in the US and around the world. Much of the day-to-day scamming is undertaken by victims of human trafficking who were lured to the region by false promises of work.

People from more than 60 countries have been lured to the region and forced to scam people. Many trafficking victims have their passports taken, receive beatings if they refuse to work, and have little chance of escape. Hundreds of thousands of trafficking victims have been tricked into the compounds in recent years.

Myanmar’s military junta raided some known compounds starting around October, ahead of elections in the country. The International Justice Mission is an international non-governmental organization focused on human rights and law enforcement founded in 1997. The organization has a history of rescuing trafficking victims from scam compounds in Myanmar.

The rapid construction of new scam compounds in Myanmar demonstrates the ability of criminal networks to rebuild infrastructure despite international pressure and local enforcement actions. The use of satellite imagery and technical data allows organizations to track these developments in remote areas where on-the-ground verification is difficult. The scale of new construction suggests that previous disruptions have not eliminated the capacity for large-scale fraud operations in the region.

These operations rely on human trafficking victims from dozens of countries, creating a persistent humanitarian crisis alongside financial crimes. The identification of specific technologies such as Starlink devices links these remote compounds to global supply chains and regulatory actions by US authorities. Continued monitoring of construction patterns provides evidence of ongoing illicit activity despite publicized crackdowns.