Myanmar bill seeks life, death penalties for crypto fraud

Myanmar’s military government published the text of an Anti-Online Fraud Bill on Thursday that would set prison terms of 10 years to life and allow the death penalty for convictions of “digital currency fraud.” The Pyidaungsu Hluttaw released the draft as a response to online fraud the government said threatened the country’s sovereignty and stability.

The bill specifies circumstances under which capital punishment could apply. It would impose the death sentence on anyone judged responsible for the death of a person who had been coerced or exploited into committing online fraud. The draft also raises penalties where fraud schemes involve organized operations, trafficking or involuntary servitude.

Lawmakers are scheduled to consider the proposal during a parliamentary session planned for the first week of June. Myanmar’s legislature reconvened in March 2026 after not meeting since the military takeover in 2021; international observers described the elections held earlier this year as not free or fair.

Authorities and investigators have reported a rise in organized scam centers in parts of Southeast Asia that run schemes such as pig-butchering investment frauds, romance scams and fake trading platforms. Governments in the region and abroad have taken enforcement actions: in January, Chinese authorities ordered executions for 11 people linked to scam centers that trafficked Chinese nationals, and in April U.S. authorities worked with partners to arrest more than 200 people and close nine centers.

U.S. law enforcement highlighted the scale of losses tied to crypto and online fraud. An FBI report released in April stated Americans lost more than $11 billion to crypto-related scams in 2025 and more than $20 billion overall to online fraud. The report noted that the Scam Center Strike Force is investigating major scam compounds in Southeast Asia and focusing on identifying and pursuing key leaders, including affiliates of Chinese organized crime operating in Cambodia, Laos and Burma.

The draft bill links criminal liability to those who profit from, organize or coerce others into online fraud schemes and increases penalties where forced labor or fatal outcomes occur. If enacted, the measure would be among the most severe legal responses to digital currency fraud globally.