THE BIG TRACE NEWSLETTER
FROM CEZARY PODKUL
A remarkable investigation
This is where we were scammed
ON THE FIELD!
In early February, Thailand cut electricity, internet service and fuel supply to Myanmar’s sprawling scam hubs and deployed troops to patrol the border. Soon after, the Myanmar junta-aligned Karen Border Guard Force began making plans to deport foreigners from scam compounds in areas it controlled. The headlines sounded encouraging, so I decided to visit the region again to learn more. I teamed up with Erin West from Operation Shamrock to see what's changed (and hasn't) since our last trip to the Thai-Myanmar border in November:
https://lnkd.in/eV-aRg8A
A GOOD WORK TOGETHER
From Cezary Podkul
"The pace of construction along the Moei River is stunning. Four months and so much progress and deforestation for a scam compound expansion. And this is just one location we visited. Thank you Erin West for joining me on this eye-opening journey."
On 17/03/25
Behind every great company, is a true story. Who are we? Why did we build our business? And what makes us the best at what we do, today? Our journey has been anything but ordinary.
Investigation by CEZARY PODKUL
scam compounds
I recently traveled along the Moei River in northern Thailand to view scam compounds that have proliferated along the Thai-Myanmar border over the past few years. I had heard a lot about these industrial-scale scamming operations during my reporting and seen some of them up-close in Cambodia, but I’d never seen the massive fraud parks along the Moei until my visit last month.
January 31, 2025
Selfishness vs. Selflessness
A growing community of selfless activists are taking it upon themselves to tackle Southeast Asia’s growing fraud problem.
The selfish deceit underpinning
hashtag
#pigbutchering scams has a multiplier effect that spreads misery not only to fraud victims but also to their families and friends and others around them. But there's a flip side to this: