US Embassy: Americans Lost Nearly $10 Billion Due to Online Scams in 2025

According to a statement from the US Embassy in Myanmar, there are security threats in the Southeast Asian region, and Americans lost approximately 10 billion US dollars in 2025 due to online scam (cyber scam) operations. The US Embassy and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) Myanmar are jointly implementing a public awareness program to help dismantle these online scam networks and address forced labor in illegal criminal activities. Behind these large-scale online scam operations, severe human rights violations exist, and transnational criminal networks are trafficking job seekers and vulnerable individuals, forcing them to scam others, it has been revealed. Furthermore, many people are subjected to unjust forced labor and are trapped within criminal activities. "Being forced to recruit and coerce others into similar cyber scam operations in order to escape from online scam (cyber scam) facilities is a second exploitation," IOM Myanmar stated. IOM Myanmar's statement indicates that traffickers primarily target individuals facing economic difficulties and those hoping for better opportunities, deceiving them. Last May, the Shan Human Rights Foundation reported that individuals were trafficked to Chinese online scam companies within the 'Yadanarpon' compound owned by the United Wa State Army (UWSA) in Tachileik Township, eastern Shan State, and from there, some were further trafficked to rare earth mines in China. Photo – Social Media