Channel 4's Myanmar Scam Documentary Forces You to Feel Empathy for Your Scammers

A new Channel 4 investigation has uncovered the brutal machinery behind Myanmar's multi-billion-pound fraud empire. The programme reveals that the very people who stole your savings may have done so with fresh wounds on their backs and fear of death in their hearts.

Foreign Affairs Correspondent Secunder Kermani gained rare access to Shunda Park, a sprawling scam compound housing approximately 3,000 workers along Myanmar's border with Thailand. The facility was seized by pro-democracy rebels from the Karen National Union, exposing the harsh reality faced by trafficked labourers.

What Kermani uncovered challenges every assumption victims might hold about the criminals who target them.

A $1.2 Million Nightmare

The documentary features a range of experiences, including that of CY, an American financial professional who lost £906,000 ($1.2 million) to a fake investment scam. The scam began in October 2021 while he was caring for his dying father.

'I needed someone to talk to,' CY told Channel 4. 'None of the scam or this whole fake investment came about until much later, once she earned my trust.'

The platform appeared legitimate. CY tested the so-called MetaTrader5 (MT5), which had verified reviews showing 4.7 stars on Apple's App Store, and initially withdrew some deposits. But within months, all his savings—25 years' worth—disappeared.

'I ended up going to a psychiatric ward that evening,' CY said. 'It's not just the money that I lost. I lost a lot more than that. I have lost my whole pride, my dignity, my self-confidence.'

His wife has since been diagnosed with breast cancer, and he has lost his job. The financial strain continues to weigh heavily on him.

The Scale of Stolen Fortunes

According to the US Treasury Department, Americans alone lost approximately £7.5 billion ($10 billion) to scams originating in Southeast Asia in 2024—a 66 per cent increase compared to the previous year. The Council on Foreign Relations estimates that victims worldwide surrendered roughly £56.6 billion ($75 billion) between 2020 and 2024.

'I Die, You Die, We All Die'

Perhaps the most harrowing revelations concern those committing the fraud. When Kermani asked freed workers for evidence of abuse, many lifted their shirts to reveal horrific scars; one had been shot.

United Nations agencies estimate tens of thousands of trafficked individuals have been forced into scam compounds across Southeast Asia, with victims from dozens of countries. The UNODC Global Report on Trafficking in Persons 2024 reports a 25 per cent rise globally in trafficking cases in 2022.

United Nations agencies estimate tens of thousands of trafficked individuals have been forced into scam compounds across Southeast Asia, with victims from dozens of countries. The UNODC Global Report on Trafficking in Persons 2024 reports a 25 per cent rise globally in trafficking cases in 2022.

Abraham, a software engineering graduate from Ethiopia, believed he had secured a sales position in Bangkok. Instead, he was pushed across the border and forced to work 14-hour shifts with monthly targets of £15,000 ($20,000).

'I was working in the Australian market,' Abraham explained, describing how he targeted older women 'because they're desperate for love and lonely, so you can take advantage of that.'

He described sleepless nights filled with guilt, with no escape. Each room contained a Chinese gong, struck whenever someone completed a scam worth at least £37,730 ($50,000). The entire office would then chant: 'If you make money, I'm rich. You're rich. We're rich. If you don't make money, I die. You die. We all die.'

Who Truly Profits

Jason Tower, a leading expert on the region's scam industry, identified the ultimate beneficiaries.

'The short story is that the Myanmar military is behind all of this,' Tower stated. 'The Myanmar military is the main entity, through its border guard force, that provides security to scam compounds in the country.'

In September 2025, the US Treasury Department sanctioned companies and individuals linked to these operations, targeting the Karen National Union and Chinese crime bosses. Officials described these as part of an 'industrial-scale fraud' and 'modern slavery' enterprise.

An Uncomfortable Truth

For victims like CY, who lost their retirement savings, the moral complexity is stark. The charming stranger who manipulated them into financial ruin may have been a desperate captive, choosing between deceiving strangers or enduring torture.

This does not diminish the devastation felt by scam victims, many of whom were vulnerable due to bereavement, depression, or loneliness.

But Channel 4's investigation presents an uncomfortable realisation: in this criminal ecosystem, nearly everyone is a victim of someone more powerful. The real winners are the Chinese syndicates and Myanmar militia leaders, who profit from misery on every side.