Taiwan's foreign ministry is warning citizens that working in Southeast Asian scam operations can now carry the death penalty — bad news for anyone lured abroad by offers of easy money.

• Three Taiwanese have been arrested and charged in Myanmar for running online scams.
• Myanmar brought in a new anti-scam law at the end of July covering online fraud, torture inside scam compounds, and crypto crime, with death as the maximum sentence.
• The law applies to foreigners, so suspects will no longer get off with a light immigration charge or simple deportation.
• Thailand started its own crackdown in late August: foreigners convicted of illegal entry, overstaying, illegal work, or forged documents will be deported after serving their sentence and may be barred from returning.
• Governments across the region are moving together against cross-border scam networks, and free plane tickets or high pay offers are the usual bait.

Outlook: Expect more arrests and harsher sentences for foreign nationals caught in Myanmar's scam compounds, and tighter entry rules across the region.