Bangladesh, Sept. 10 -- The United States has launched a new wave of sanctions against criminal networks in Southeast Asia that exploit forced labor to scam Americans online, escalating its pressure on a problem that has mushroomed into a global crisis. The move, announced by the US Treasury Department on September 8, targets 19 individuals and entities linked to large-scale scam centers in Myanmar and Cambodia-operations that experts describe as brutal, exploitative, and highly profitable.

According to the Treasury Department, Americans lost an estimated $10 billion to these schemes in 2024 alone, marking a staggering 66 percent increase from the year before. Officials say much of this fraud originates from organized scam compounds staf...