Human Trafficking Into Asian Online Scam Centers Surging Globally

The United Nations migration agency reports that human trafficking into online scam centers across Asia is surging, with victims from more than 80 countries being lured through social media. Some of these individuals have been subjected to sexual abuse.

In Southeast Asia, syndicates operate guarded compounds where victims are forced to conduct fraudulent activities. A recent study based on accounts of Bangladeshi returnees found that jobseekers were lured to Cambodia with promises of roles as computer operators or construction workers, only to be confined and stripped of their passports. These victims were often forced into "romance scamming," posing as women to defraud targets; failure to meet quotas allegedly resulted in beatings, salary deductions, or confinement without food.

Law enforcement has taken action against these operations. In Malaysia, 335 people were arrested during raids at Johor’s Forest City, where syndicates were suspected of running cryptocurrency investment and romance scams targeting victims in China and Indonesia.

Recruitment often involves a transnational syndicate linking recruiters—including relatives, neighbors, travel agents, and social media advertisements—with compound operators and financial channels. In Bangladesh, the Human Trafficking and Migrant Smuggling Prevention and Suppression Act of 2026 recognizes forcing individuals into online fraud as exploitation, and cases involving fraudulent job advertisements have reached the Anti-Human Trafficking Tribunal in Dhaka.