Authorities in Myanmar's Mandalay Region have permanently deactivated more than 470,000 mobile SIM cards suspected of links to cyber scams and illegal online gambling. Enforcement is also expanding across telecommunications and payment networks.
The figures were disclosed during a Mandalay Region Hluttaw session, where lawmakers raised concerns about gambling and scam operations being promoted through Viber, SMS, Telegram and other digital channels.
Authorities said online gambling websites and applications are being monitored across Facebook, Telegram and other platforms, with measures taken to block associated servers and IP addresses.
Mobile operators are also identifying numbers that distribute unusually large volumes of identical gambling-related messages. Numbers sending the same message to 60 recipients within one hour or 1,000 within 24 hours can be automatically blocked.
These measures have resulted in more than 470,000 suspicious SIM cards being permanently deactivated since August 2026.
Enforcement has also involved criminal cases under Myanmar's Electronic Transactions Law. Seven cases involving 116 suspects were opened in 2024, followed by two cases involving five suspects in 2025.
So far in 2026, authorities have opened four cases involving 42 suspects. The cases have included both Myanmar and Chinese nationals.
The crackdown is increasingly extending beyond telecommunications. Authorities are working with financial institutions to identify money flows connected to online fraud and gambling, including transactions conducted through mobile banking and other payment services.
Investigations, arrests and legal proceedings are being pursued alongside efforts to interrupt these financial channels.
The measures come after Myanmar enacted its Online Fraud Law on July 31, providing an additional legal framework for enforcement against online fraud-related activities.
Officials said cyber scams and illegal gambling are increasingly appearing in urban areas rather than remaining concentrated around border regions, adding to concerns about their links with financial fraud, human trafficking and other criminal activity.
Myanmar enacted its Online Fraud Law on July 31, 2026
