China has warned people of the dangers of travelling to northern Myanmar for work citing police reports of jobseekers being lured to the country on the offer of employment only to end up being kidnapped or forced into prostitution, The South China Morning Post reported.

Many Chinese citizens had been hoodwinked by recruitment advertisements into thinking they were going to Myanmar to work for legitimate companies, the foreign ministry said in a statement on Saturday. But on arrival were “forced to engage in illegal and criminal activities such as telecom fraud and gambling”.

Northern Myanmar, especially towns like Laukkai, the capital of Kokang, has become a hotbed for casinos, online fraud operations and prostitution, much of it targeted at Chinese locals and visitors, the report said.