Global Anti-Scam Organization

🚨 GASO Helped Rescue Human Trafficking Victim🚨 GASO recently participated in a rescue operation involving a trafficked individual held within a scam compound associated with the Pacific Real Estate Property Management Company, an entity sanctioned by the UK for its involvement in human rights abuses. Zhang, a young man from Guangdong, China, was deceived by a high school friend and arrived in Cambodia on October 23, 2024. Upon his arrival, his passport was confiscated by a Chinese supervisor, and he was forcibly taken to the compound in Chrey Thum, Phnom Penh. At this compound, Zhang was coerced into conducting pig butchering scams by targeting victims across Asia. Using fake cryptocurrency investment platforms, he was exploited as part of a broader criminal operation. The situation escalated on the night of November 24, 2024, when Zhang’s father received a desperate call from his son. The traffickers demanded an initial ransom of 30,000 RMB, which was doubled to 60,000 RMB. GASO stepped in and guided Zhang’s father not to pay the ransom. Instead, a coordinated effort between GASO and Cambodia’s local authorities led to Zhang’s safe rescue within just 24 hours. The Pacific Real Estate Property Management Company is among the sanctioned individuals and entities linked to human trafficking operations across Southeast Asia. In December 2023, the UK imposed sanctions on nine individuals and entities associated with human trafficking in Southeast Asia. These sanctions target groups involved in forced labor, fraudulent activities like pig-butchering scams, and the exploitation of trafficked individuals in scam compounds. Many of these compounds are located in countries like Cambodia, Myanmar, and Laos, where corruption and weak governance allow these operations to thrive. #AntiTrafficking #HumanRights #HumanTrafficking #Scam

The Global Anti-Scam Organization GASO is thrilled to share the good news: Cambodian journalist Mech Dara has been released! 🌟 Mech Dara’s work has been crucial in uncovering the hidden reality of Cambodia’s scam industry, bravely bringing attention to the exploitation and hardships faced by thousands. GASO joined the many voices around the world in calling for the release of Mech Dara as we were deeply concerned and disheartened by his recent arrest. Mech Dara has been one of GASO’s close partners in exposing this scam industry since its early days a few years ago. Mech Dara has been a voice of freedom in Cambodia exposing the human rights abuses at the hands of human traffickers and criminal syndicates working in cyberscam compounds spread across Cambodia. Mech Dara has received global recognition for his work, including from The U.S. State Department. His dedication to transparency and accountability is an inspiring testament to the power of journalism in fighting injustice.

🚨 SEC and FBI Crack Down on Crypto Fraud, FBI Seeks Victims 🚨 The SEC has filed fraud charges against three companies and nine individuals involved in manipulating the markets for crypto assets sold as securities to retail investors. According to the SEC, these actors created the false impression of active trading through deceptive practices like "wash trading" (self-trading) to lure victims into purchasing crypto assets at inflated prices. Prominent crypto promoters - including Russell Armand, Maxwell Hernandez, and others - worked with market manipulation firms like ZM Quant, Gotbit, and CLS Global, who used algorithms to artificially inflate trading volume. These fraudulent schemes generated billions of dollars in fake trades daily, deceiving investors into believing they were participating in a vibrant, growing market. The FBI's Boston Division is calling for anyone who believes they’ve been affected by cryptocurrency fraud schemes to come forward. If you bought or sold any of the following cryptocurrencies, you may be a potential victim: · Saitama, SaitaRealty, SaitaChain · Robo Inu · VZZN · Lillian Finance · NexFund AI If you or someone you know has been impacted, please fill out the FBI's victim identification form. Your participation could help hold those responsible accountable and may make you eligible for services, restitution, or legal rights as a victim of federal crimes. Please find the link below within the comments. Help spread the word and protect others from these fraudulent schemes. GASO would also like to remind how it is critical to reporting to the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) at https://www.ic3.gov if you have been victim of any type of cybercrime. #crypto #fraud #marketmanipulation #scam #fbi #sec

🚨 FBI Investigating Fraudulent Crypto Platform, Seeks Victims 🚨 The FBI’s Houston Division is looking for more victims of ICHCoin, a fake cryptocurrency platform that has scammed millions since December 2023. Using false promises of AI-assisted crypto trades, ICHCoin has lured people into investing through social media and messaging apps like WhatsApp. If you or someone you know has been victimized, please complete the FBI's Seeking Information Questionnaire. As the FBI points out, it is "legally mandated to identify victims of federal crimes it investigates. Victims may be eligible for certain services, restitution, and rights under federal and/or state law. Your responses are voluntary but may be useful in the federal investigation and to identify you as a potential victim. Based on the responses provided, you may be contacted by the FBI and asked to provide additional information. Identities of all victims will be kept confidential." Please find the link below within the comments. Help spread the word and protect others from these fraudulent schemes. As a reminder, these are the red flags often associated with such fraudulent schemes: · Unsolicited investment offers via messaging apps (e.g., WhatsApp, Telegram) · Promises of guaranteed returns · Requests to lie to your bank about transactions · Suspicious apps advertised on social media · "Free" money or loans to get started GASO would also like to remind how it is critical to reporting to the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) at https://www.ic3.gov if you have been victim of any type of cybercrime. #fraud #scam #pigbutchering #fbi #ichcoin

Tackling scams require a coordinated effort 🤝 from all players in the industry, backed by 🔎 quality intelligence. This is why Chainalysis is collaborating with Global Anti-Scam Organization (GASO), a non-profit organization working to help victims of #pigbutcheringscams, rescue victims of #humantrafficking, and collaborate with law enforcement agencies to seize funds and prosecute perpetrators. The intelligence gathered from GASO’s ongoing rescue efforts, research and investigations will now be integrated with the Chainalysis data platform. This will further enable law enforcement agencies, cryptocurrency exchanges and financial institutions using our tools with greater intelligence to disrupt and prevent #scams. Watch this documentary to learn more about the work that GASO is doing: https://bit.ly/3YMYYfV

Thank you to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) for bringing attention to the volunteers and organisations fighting the cyber-slavery scam operations in Southeast Asia. Our Founder and Director Mina Chiang was featured in this article by Will Jackson. Troy Gochenour, a member of the Global Anti-Scam Organization (GASO), shared his experience of being scammed and discussed GASOs work, which includes raising awareness of scams and providing crucial information to law enforcement. Despite the challenges that GASO faces, they have managed to assist hundreds of trafficking victims. Mina spoke about the lack of action from governments in countries where scamming operations are active, and from the governments of trafficking victims’ origin countries. Jacob Sims, a former advisor to the anti-trafficking NGO International Justice Mission, shared his obervation that governments in the region deny the extent of human trafficking in the cyber scam operations. We invite you to read the full story here: https://lnkd.in/gPsaaMzg #humantrafficking #cyberslavery #volunteers

The new edition of ACAMS Today magazine is out with several interesting articles focused on cryptocurrency-related matters. I am pleased to share mine which focuses on a major and topical issue which is pig butchering scams. In this article, I provide an overview of the money laundering techniques that generally occur in pig butchering schemes, namely: ·     Laundering via decentralized cryptoasset exchanges ·     Laundering of stablecoins ·     Laundering via Tokenlon: Swaps and cross-chain bridges ·     Laundering through money mules and money-mule accounts ·     The use of false or stolen identifying information In addition, there are additional challenges such as the pseudonymous nature of cryptoassets and how fast the money moves and is being laundered across jurisdictions. By the time victims report their cases, the money has already moved and been laundered; as a result, this is a race against time. Law enforcement’s power outside of their jurisdiction may be limited, as well as their ability to cooperate with their foreign counterparts for various reasons or with noncompliant, unregulated crypto-asset service providers that may turn a blind eye to this type of activity or choose jurisdictions allowing them to take advantage of legal loopholes. It is also worth noting that these large-scale scam operations run in some jurisdictions and regions rife with corruption where organized crime groups are working with or backed by local authorities and officials. I hope you enjoy reading and learn something new! If you want to learn more about this critical issue, do not hesitate to reach out. I can refer you to detailed publications. Link: https://lnkd.in/eTVBKkkx Views are my own. #acams #aml #amlcompliance #crypto #cybercrime #fraud #humantrafficking #modernslavery #pigbutchering #scams

In light of the recent news from Lithuanian authorities, Eurojust and the viral ACAMS’ post among the Lithuanian AML community (link in comments), here is a post about how the Lithuanian fintech infrastructure is attractive for organized crime groups based on my observations and personal experience. Although pig butchering scams may not impact Lithuania as much as other countries from the Global North like the United States, there has been multiple instances of criminals leveraging the Lithuanian fintech infrastructure to open bank accounts within relatively new and small financial institutions without robust AML frameworks. In the first screenshot, you can see a customer service line at a fake cryptoasset exchange requiring the victim to wire money at a Lithuanian fintech company. These accounts are often money mule accounts. While money mules are not directly involved in the crime that generates the money, they facilitate the laundering of the proceeds of the crime and ultimately help criminals remain anonymous while moving funds. According to the Global Anti-Scam Organization, several victims reported having lost a combined total loss of several hundred thousand euros partly wired via accounts set up in Lithuania. Some of these were held at Transactive Systems UAB, for example, which saw its licensed revoked by the Bank of Lithuania last year for seriously and systematically infringing AML requirements (link in comments). In the scam industry, task scams is a relatively new form of scam that is targeting the European continent. In fact, you may already have been contacted by a random and unknown number offering you a remote job opportunity consisting of performing some tasks like watching videos, liking social media posts, or creating orders on marketplaces online. Based on a study from Humanity Research Consultancy, there appears to be some connections between pig butchering scams and task scams. In the second screenshot, you can see a discussion with a scammer involved in a task scam asking which Lithuanian fintech company the interlocutor uses and also insisting that the bank account should be located in a Lithuanian fintech company. To learn more about red flag indicators related to money mules, you can refer to my latest article on ACAMS Today via the link below. https://lnkd.in/eC3KbM_B Views are my own. #acams #aml #amlcompliance #crypto #cybercrime #fraud #humanrights #humantrafficking #lithuania #mekong #modernslavery #scams

I am glad to share a list of red flag indicators that can help victims, law enforcement and anti-financial crime (AFC) professionals to understand pig butchering scams and better identify them. This list is a companion piece to my upcoming ACAMS Today article on the money laundering techniques used in pig butchering scams. This piece provides a comprehensive list of red flag indicators pertaining to victims during the financial grooming process as well as red flag indicators related to the financial and money laundering aspects of pig butchering scams, which can be identified at different levels and stages of the scam and money laundering process. The pig butchering scam industry is earning organized crime groups the equivalent of billions of U.S. dollars. This criminal activity is so prevalent in Southeast Asia that the multibillion-dollar profits are even rivaling the gross domestic product (GDP) of some Southeast Asian countries. It is therefore crucial for law enforcement and AFC professionals to educate themselves on this major transnational crime that can leave victims in a state of financial ruin and result in emotional trauma. Views are my own. #acams #aml #amlcompliance #crypto #cybercrime #fraud #humanrights #humantrafficking #mekong #modernslavery #scams

The Global Anti-Scam Organization is proud to share that we have contributed to the latest DW’s investigative documentary on one of the most notorious cyber-scam compounds located in Myanmar and the Chinese organized crime groups behind it. The documentary investigates a compound called KK Park situated on the Myanmar-Thai border, which serves as a hub for an extensive scam operation victimizing people globally. Thousands of individuals, trafficked into KK Park under false pretenses, are coerced into criminal activities, primarily scamming people worldwide. Survivors report grueling conditions, including surveillance, torture, and even weekly murders within the compound. The satellite imagery GASO provided to DW reveals the growth of KK Park since its construction began in 2020. The compound is guarded by members of the official Border Guard Force from Myanmar, which is composed of former rebels who made a pact with the junta, while the leadership behind the operation is allegedly Chinese. The documentary also suggests a connection between the region where KK Park is located and China's Belt and Road Initiative investments, although the compound itself is purpose-built for scamming and not officially acknowledged in Chinese communications. DW highlights that KK Park's scamming operations trace back to a complex network of businesses and associations used by criminals to legitimize their crimes and launder millions in defrauded assets – and that network continues to expand from Southeast Asia to Africa, Europe and North America. #aml #china #cyberscam #fraud #humantrafficking #lawenforcement #modernslavery #myanmar #pigbutcheringscam #scam