The U.S. State Department has revealed that Americans lost over $10 billion to online scams run from Southeast Asia in 2024.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said criminal networks in the region have increasingly exploited internet users, running elaborate schemes that trick victims into losing money while also forcing workers into labor under inhumane conditions.

In response, the U.S. Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has announced sanctions against several individuals and entities linked to scam centers. Among those targeted are operations in Shwe Kokko, Burma, allegedly funded and protected by the Karen National Army (KNA), a cartel accused of facilitating fraud and human trafficking.

Additionally, OFAC sanctioned four people and six companies in Cambodia, where scam hubs reportedly run online fraud operations against victims not just in the U.S., but also in Europe, China, and other regions.

Rubio stressed that the penalties are designed to protect Americans from criminal groups that thrive on fraud, theft, forced labor, and even physical and sexual abuse.

The Treasury Department has since published the names of those sanctioned on its website, warning that the U.S. will continue to crack down on global fraud networks targeting its citizens.