Rebels Close Shunda Park Scam Complex in Myanmar’s Karen State

Journalists from The New York Times gained rare access to Shunda Park, an expansive scam complex near the Thailand border in Karen State, Myanmar, after it was taken in late November by a rebel force aligned with the Karen National Liberation Army. The compound, which opened in 2024 and at one point housed more than 3,500 workers from nearly 30 countries, contained rows of computer stations, staged video-conference suites and celebratory gongs and drums that marked successful frauds.

Reporters documented signs of systematic abuse — shackles, punishment cells and scorched piles of electronic equipment and SIM cards — alongside finance records showing salaried Chinese employees and office files with wage receipts and medical tests. Investigative reporting said scammers at Shunda Park used generative intelligence, deepfake videos, fake businesses and fraudulent apps to carry out long cons on victims worldwide.

The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime has described cyberscamming as a highly lucrative criminal industry, and the U.S. Treasury Department said at least $10 billion was stolen through Southeast Asia–run scams in the United States in 2024; the United States has formed a federal task force to target scam centers and associated transnational networks.

The Karen militia handed armfuls of evidence to Thai police and delivered a man identified as the compound’s Chinese boss, but reporters said no foreign governments or intelligence agencies have come to investigate.

Key Topics

World, Shunda Park, Karen State, Karen Militia, Myanmar Military, Cyberscamming Industry