AFP — The European Union has imposed sanctions on the leader of a criminal gang operating in Cambodia and an armed group in Myanmar over cyber fraud targeting victims around the world.
Brussels said it had blacklisted, frozen the assets of, and banned visas for Prince Holding Group, a multi-billion-dollar conglomerate, and its chairman Chen Zhi, over allegations that he had established scam centres in Cambodia and Myanmar through various front companies.
"These scam centres carry out cryptocurrency investment fraud and other fraudulent schemes. Moreover, within these centres, many victims from various countries have been trafficked or lured through deception, held against their will, and forced to carry out online fraud targeting victims worldwide," the EU stated.
Chen Zhi, the founder of Prince Group, was repatriated to China by the Phnom Penh government in January, after his conglomerate in Cambodia had been sanctioned by the United States and United Kingdom governments several months earlier over allegations of involvement in cyber fraud.
Cambodia has become a hub for criminal groups running fake romantic relationship scams and cryptocurrency investment fraud, in which scammers — some willing and some trafficked — deceive internet users around the world.
However, under pressure from several countries, including the United States, United Kingdom, and China, Cambodian authorities have said they are cracking down on the industry.
The EU also said it had blacklisted the DKBA armed group in Myanmar for facilitating large-scale fraud centres by allowing these illicit operations to function under the group's protection.
"DKBA soldiers have reportedly been involved in acts of violence against trafficked victims held within such facilities," the EU stated.
The DKBA group, which controls territory along the Myanmar-Thailand border, was sanctioned by Washington last November.
