Crime & Courts

Japanese Teen Rescued from Myanmar Scam Ring; He Was Trafficked and Forced to Participate in Fraud Operations

Reuters
A view of the city in Bangkok on Feb. 3.

By Yuki Sato / Yomiuri Shimbun Correspondent

16:10 JST, February 15, 2025

BANGKOK — A Japanese teenager has been rescued by Thai police, it was announced Saturday, after the boy had been forced to participate in fraud operations at a scam group’s base in Myanmar.

The boy was a victim of human trafficking, the police said.

The boy was taken into custody in Mae Sot, a western Thai city bordering Myanmar, before being handed over to the Japanese Embassy in Thailand on Thursday, according to the police. Details regarding when and how he became a victim of human trafficking remain unclear.

Fraud groups in Myanmar have been expanding their power, and the country has seen a series of cases of foreign nationals being lured in through fake job offers and coerced into helping with scam operations. Some Japanese individuals have also been found to have taken part in these schemes.

On Thursday, Thai police arrested a 29-year-old Japanese man on suspicion of forcing a 17-year-old Japanese high school student to work at a scam base. The police also have announced that they have detained four other Japanese men for their alleged involvements in fraud operations.