China executes 11 linked to Myanmar scam compounds

China executes 11 individuals linked to Myanmar telecom scams, intensifying efforts against global cybercrime operations.

China executed 11 people linked to Myanmar criminal gangs, including “key members” of telecom scam operations, state media reported on Thursday (January 29, 2026), as Beijing toughens its response to the sprawling, transnational industry.

Fraud compounds where scammers lure internet users into fake romantic relationships and cryptocurrency investments have flourished across Southeast Asia, including in the lawless borderlands of Myanmar.

Initially largely targeting Chinese speakers, the criminal groups behind the compounds have expanded operations into multiple languages to steal from victims around the world.

Those conducting the scams are sometimes willing con artists, and other times trafficked foreign nationals forced to work.

In recent years, Beijing has stepped up cooperation with regional governments to crack down on the compounds, and thousands of people have been repatriated to face trial in China’s opaque justice system.

The 11 people executed on Thursday (January 29) were sentenced to death in September by a court in the eastern Chinese city of Wenzhou, Xinhua said, adding that the court also carried out the executions.