The Big Trace | Heavy construction, military deployments, international airlifts and other take-aways from a recent visit to a global scamming hotspot.

WIRED | A investigation reveals that criminals who make billions from scam compounds in Myanmar—where tens of thousands of people are enslaved—are using Starlink to get online.

The Economist | Online scamming compares in size and scope to the illegal drug industry. In many ways it is worse. Everyone becomes a potential target simply by going about their lives. [paywall]

WIRED | Romance scams cost victims billions every year. As people grow increasingly isolated, scammers are using generative AI to scale their crimes.

The Big Trace | A growing community of selfless activists is taking responsibility to tackle Southeast Asia’s growing fraud problem.

The Big Trace | Reflections on an eye-opening journey along the Thai-Myanmar border where, at least for now, crime does pay.

Global China Pulse | Money laundering for scam operations is big business in Cambodia, where workers help scammers move stolen funds to hide their source.

WIRED | A Chainalysis report finds that stablecoins, tied to the value of the US dollar, were used in the majority of crypto-based scam transactions and sanctions evasion in 2023.