BANGKOK, November 10. /TASS/. A Russian citizen freed from a scam call center in Myanmar near the border with Thailand has been handed over to Russian diplomatic mission staff in Bangkok for repatriation, the Russian Embassy in Myanmar told TASS.

"The Russian Embassy in Yangon, together with a representative of the Russian Interior Ministry in Vietnam (also accredited to Myanmar and Laos) and Myanmar’s law enforcement agencies, continues working to assist Russian nationals who are lured through deception into working at scam call centers based in the area near the Thai border, close to the city of Myawaddy. As a result of coordinated efforts, a Russian citizen was handed over to diplomatic mission staff in Bangkok today for his return home via Thailand," the embassy said.

The embassy clarified that it received an appeal from the Russian national in September, after he had been freed "by Myanmar authorities from a criminal facility and placed in a deportation center in the city of Myawaddy" in August. Russian diplomats pointed out that online scam centers in Myanmar are located in areas controlled by armed anti-government groups, complicating efforts to rescue victims due to heightened security risks.

According to TASS calculations, over the past two years, 24 Russian nationals have fallen victim to online scams in Myanmar after being lured into the country by fraudsters. All were subsequently successfully repatriated with the assistance of Russian diplomats.