Chinese actor Wang Xing rescued from Myanmar scam center, reveals traumatic ordeal

Chinese actor Wang Xing talks with Thai police officers in Mae Sot district. (The Royal Thai Police via AP)

A 31-year-old Chinese actor, Wang Xing, was recently rescued from a scam center in Myanmar after he went missing from Thailand during his visit, leading to his girlfriend to make a public appeal for help on social media.

Wang recently opened up about his traumatic experience of being rescued from a scam center in Myanmar. He revealed that he had been lured into the facility under the pretense of a lucrative job opportunity, only to find himself trapped in a horrific environment where he was forced to engage in illegal activities against his will, as reported by News18.

Wang described the conditions in the scam center as oppressive, with his movements strictly monitored and controlled by the captors. He also shared chilling accounts of seeing other individuals physically abused for refusing to comply with the demands of the syndicate.

These centers, reportedly run by organized criminal networks, coerce victims into conducting online scams and other fraudulent operations.

On January 5, his girlfriend, Jia Jia, posted a message on Chinese social media platform - Weibo - saying, “We have no choice but to borrow the power of the internet to amplify our voices."

According to a report by News18, in her Weibo post Jia Jia revealed that Wang had flown from Shanghai to Bangkok after being contacted by a Thai entertainment company for work.

She mentioned that Wang had been in contact with a coordinator in Thailand, who informed him that a vehicle had been arranged to take him from Suvarnabhumi Airport directly to the film set for a lensing ceremony.

Wang was in regular contact with his girlfriend, who informed her that he had arrived in Mae Sot, a town close to the Myanmar border, around noon. Shortly thereafter, he was told he would be switched to another vehicle that would take him to the film set in just five minutes. Not long after that, Jia Jia received an SOS message from Wang, after which he became unreachable.

Wang’s brother and girlfriend quickly reached out to the Shanghai Municipal Public Security Bureau, as well as the Chinese Embassy in Thailand and the Consulate-General in Chiang Mai for assistance. The situation drew significant attention from the authorities, especially after Jia Jia’s post was shared by several prominent Chinese celebrities, including singer Lay Zhang and actor Qin Lan.

On January 7, officials located Wang in Myanmar, where he was taken across the border under false pretenses. Thai police later confirmed that he had been kidnapped by armed individuals and was being held at a compound in Myanmar that is known to be involved with online scam operations.

In a video shared by The Beijing News, Wang disclosed that a minimum of 50 Chinese nationals were trapped at the compound where he was held. He further recounted his distressing experience, stating, “It was only when the armed individuals pushed me into the car that I realized I might not be in Thailand, but in another country. There were approximately 50 people in the building where I was located, with more people in another building, and people from various countries were present.”

Wang spoke about the brutal conditions he endured while being held captive. He was forced to type for long hours each day under intense pressure.

"I can't sleep. I can't eat. I didn't even have time to use the restroom," he added.

His rescue came as part of a coordinated operation between Chinese and Myanmar authorities, who have been grappling with a surge in such scams in Southeast Asia. Wang urged governments to intensify efforts to dismantle these operations and rescue other victims still trapped in similar conditions.

The actor's ordeal has sparked widespread outrage and reignited calls for stricter measures to combat human trafficking and online fraud syndicates in the region.