U.S. Drops the Hammer on Myanmar Warlord and His Cyber Scam Empire

Saw Chit Thu and His Sons Caught in the Crosshairs

The U.S. isn't messing around anymore. They've just slammed sanctions on a notorious Myanmar warlord, Saw Chit Thu, and his militia, the Karen National Army (KNA), for running massive cyber scams that have wrecked the lives of American citizens. We're talking about crypto fraud and more.

Family Business of Crime

The U.S. Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) didn't stop at Saw Chit Thu. They also hit his sons, Saw Htoo Eh Moo and Saw Chit Chit, along with the KNA. These guys aren't just into cyber scams; they're also neck-deep in human trafficking and cross-border smuggling.

Billion Dollar Heists

According to the Treasury, this Myanmar militia’s transnational crimes include some slick cryptocurrency fraud schemes. OFAC's press release blew the lid off, revealing that U.S. victims lost a staggering $2 billion in 2022 and over $3.5 billion in 2023. That's not chump change.

Money Laundering Maestro

On May 1, 2025, the Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network pointed the finger at the Cambodian financial institution, Huione Group, as a major money laundering player in Southeast Asia.

Scams Flooding In from Southeast Asia

U.S. authorities are sounding the alarm that most of the cyber scams hitting Americans are coming straight out of Southeast Asia. Huione Group, a key money laundering conduit for North Korea and other criminal organizations, is now firmly in the U.S. sights.

Virtual Currency and Romance Scams

Like KNA and others, their main scams are all about convertible virtual currency investment and romance schemes, known as "pig butchering."

Scammers' Sinister Playbook

“Scammers lure victims with visions of a lavish lifestyle, tricking them into ‘investing’ in fake cryptocurrency and trading platforms they control. Victims see phony ‘returns’ on their investments and are conned into pouring more and more money in until the scammers vanish, leaving victims penniless,” the Treasury Department warned.

Billions Stolen Through Pig Butchering

These laundering and "pig butchering" scams have raked in billions of dollars for the criminal masterminds.

Borderline Criminal Empire

OFAC says Saw Chit Thu is a big shot in Myanmar’s scam economy, with his connections to the country’s military junta allowing his criminal operations to flourish in a KNA-controlled zone along the Myanmar-Thailand border.

Global Crackdown

The United Kingdom and the European Union have already thrown down their own sanctions on Saw Chit Thu in 2023 and 2024, respectively.