The International Organization for Migration (IOM) has issued a stark warning that hundreds of thousands of people around the world are being trafficked by organized criminal networks and forced to operate online scam centres, describing the rapidly expanding cybercrime industry as one of the fastest-growing forms of modern human trafficking.
According to the UN migration agency, victims are increasingly being deceived by fraudulent overseas job offers before finding themselves imprisoned in heavily guarded compounds where they are forced to participate in internet scams under threats of violence, torture and psychological abuse.
The agency warned that criminal syndicates have transformed online fraud into a multibillion-dollar enterprise stretching across Asia and increasingly into other parts of the world, exploiting vulnerable job seekers from dozens of countries through sophisticated recruitment schemes.
IOM asserts that traffickers frequently promote fictitious job openings that promise good pay and legal employment overseas. However, upon arrival, recruits are deprived of their identity cards and passports, put under continual monitoring, and subjected to debt bondage, abuse, and intimidation in order to coerce them into participating in online scams that target victims worldwide.
Humanitarian organisations have conducted interviews with survivors who have detailed the appalling conditions they endured within these compounds, including protracted malnutrition, torture, sexual violence, solitary incarceration, and repeated physical abuse intended to maintain compliance and prevent escape.
IOM Director General Amy Pope indicated that the growing crisis demands a coordinated international response that places victims at the centre of protection efforts.
“People trapped in scam compounds are victims of trafficking, forced to commit crimes through violence, threats and coercion. They deserve protection, not punishment.”
Amy Pope
She added, “we must work together to support survivors, stop traffickers and close the gaps these criminal networks exploit. No country can tackle this alone.”
The warning comes as new estimates released by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) reveal the enormous financial scale of the illicit industry.
The agency estimates that scam operations across East Asia, Southeast Asia, Australia and New Zealand generated losses of between USD 88.3 billion and USD 114.1 billion during 2025 alone, with much of the criminal activity linked to highly organized transnational trafficking networks.
Authorities estimate that hundreds of thousands of trafficking workers are still imprisoned inside fraudulent facilities around the area, many of whom are unable to get in touch with their loved ones or ask for help from the police.
The results demonstrate how traditional forms of human trafficking have developed in tandem with advancements in digital technology, enabling criminal organisations to take advantage of victims not only for forced labour and sexual exploitation but also for cyber-enabled financial crime that targets gullible people all over the world.
Recognising the rapidly changing nature of trafficking, IOM has launched its Regional Strategy Response to Trafficking in Persons for Forced Criminality in Asia and the Pacific (2026–2030).
The strategy outlines a comprehensive approach aimed at strengthening prevention, improving victim protection, enhancing cross-border cooperation and disrupting the criminal networks responsible for recruiting and exploiting vulnerable people.
According to the organization, trafficking for forced criminality is no longer confined to a handful of countries and is increasingly becoming a global security and humanitarian concern requiring coordinated international action.
Thousands Rescued but Long Road to Recovery Remains for Survivors
Although governments and humanitarian organizations have intensified rescue operations in recent years, IOM warns that liberation from scam compounds represents only the beginning of survivors’ recovery.
Between 2022 and 2025, the agency assisted more than 3,500 victims of trafficking for forced criminality across Southeast Asia. Those rescued came from 39 different countries, with the largest numbers originating from Indonesia, India, Sri Lanka, Ethiopia, Kenya and Bangladesh.
Many survivors return home carrying severe psychological trauma after enduring months or even years of violence, intimidation and isolation.
Others face significant practical obstacles, including overwhelming debt, the loss of personal identity documents, social stigma and fears that authorities may prosecute them for crimes they were forced to commit.
IOM stressed that victims require sustained support to rebuild their lives safely and avoid falling prey to traffickers again.
Its response includes identifying trafficking victims, referring them to specialised protection services, providing emergency humanitarian assistance, coordinating with consular authorities, facilitating safe voluntary return and supporting long-term reintegration into their communities.
The agency is also working closely with governments, law enforcement agencies and international partners to improve victim identification procedures, strengthen cross-border cooperation and ensure traffickers are held accountable through criminal justice systems.
This year’s awareness campaign revolves around a straightforward yet impactful message: people forced to participate in internet frauds are victims of human trafficking, not voluntary members of organised crime.
IOM contends that the distinction is crucial since many rescued people are still being arrested, detained, or prosecuted in spite of proof that they behaved under duress, violence, or threats.
Stronger international cooperation, according to the organization, will be necessary to destroy criminal syndicates that take advantage of legal gaps, lax border restrictions, and the rising demand for jobs abroad as trafficking networks spread outside of Asia into new areas.
IOM is therefore calling on governments, civil society organizations and international donors to strengthen investments in victim protection, expand public awareness campaigns about fraudulent overseas recruitment offers and improve cooperation between countries to prevent trafficking before it occurs.
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