U.S. OFAC imposes sanctions on a major fraud center protected by the Karen National Army in Myanmar

According to the official website of the Treasury Department, the U.S. Treasury Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) imposed sanctions on a huge network of fraud centers in Southeast Asia that used forced labor and violence to steal billions of dollars in Americans. The sanctions include nine targets located in Myanmar's Ruigou Valley, the infamous virtual currency investment fraud center protected by OFAC-designated Karen National Army (KNA); and ten targets are located in Cambodia. The Ministry of Finance's sanctions today are a major fraud center under the protection of the Karen National Army (KNA). The headquarters of the Karen National Army is located in Ruigougou, Miaowadi Town, Karen State in southeastern Myanmar, adjacent to the Thai border. Through cooperation with the Myanmar military, the Karen National Army controlled the territory of Karen State in eastern Myanmar. The leaders of the Karen National Army made profits through transnational criminal activities, including the use of cyber fraud centers operated by trafficking in labor, and the sale of utilities used to provide energy for these fraud activities.