Thailand and China will work together to combat fast-growing networks of illegal call centres along the Thai border with Myanmar and Cambodia, often staffed by trafficked workers, that aim to defraud people in phone and online scams.

Thailand and China have agreed to collaborate against illegal call centres near the Thai-Myanmar-Cambodia border, dealing in phone and online scams. These centres, manned by trafficked workers, have proliferated since the COVID-19 pandemic,

By Panarat Thepgumpanat and Chayut Setboonsarng BANGKOK - Thailand's visa waiver programme for Chinese nationals has come under scrutiny after the high-profile alleged kidnapping of a Chinese actor and similar crimes stoked worries over tourism and security.

Thailand and China are collaborating to combat illegal call centres along their borders, tackling phone scams and human trafficking.

We are all vulnerable to the rapid spread of phone scams – including, it seems, world leaders. Thailand’s prime minister has revealed she got a call from an AI system, demanding money in the voice of another famous head of government.

A video of Thailand’s Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra has been shared in Chinese-language social media posts that claim it shows Paetongtarn saying she is ready to rescue Chinese citizens from Myanmar if Beijing gives the order.

Regime says criminal border syndicates are supplied by neighboring country, while civilian National Unity Government pledges international cooperation to eradicate call center gangs.

Chinese tourists are expressing fears about traveling to Thailand – with some cancelling their trips – following the high-profile case of a Chinese actor’s abduction to a Myanmar scam call center.

Indonesia has sought help from the Thai military to repatriate two migrant workers who are stuck in Myanmar. “We are carrying out diplomatic approach

Chinese nationals and travel operators who spoke to CNA said the reality on the ground is “very different” and urged travellers to look beyond sensational things being said online.

Scammers under leading telecom fraud syndicates in north Myanmar are handed over to Chinese custody, on January 30, 2024. Photo: VCG. A senior officials' meeting on Lancang-Mekong

Instead, he was picked up at the airport and driven to a scam center in Myanmar’s Myawaddy, a notorious cyber-fraud hub across the border from Thailand. Wang is among hundreds of thousands of ...