Archive · 28 Jul 2026
UN Warns of Rising Online Scam Trafficking
The United Nations' migration agency is warning about a growing problem where criminal groups are tricking people from many countries into working in online scam centers.
These victims, often well-educated and fluent in English, are lured by fake job offers.
Once they arrive, their documents are taken, and they are forced to participate in scams through threats and violence.
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) has helped over 3,500 victims, but the problem is widespread, affecting people from over 80 countries.
The scams cause huge financial losses, reaching $114 billion in some regions last year.
Criminal networks traffic hundreds of thousands of people, often educated English speakers, to work in online scam centers.
Victims are lured by fake job advertisements on social media and then forced into scams through violence and debt bondage.
The IOM has assisted over 3,500 victims from nearly 40 countries between 2022 and 2025.
Estimated losses from these scams reached $114 billion in East Asia, Australia, and New Zealand in 2023.
Victims originate from over 80 countries, with the most affected being from Indonesia, India, Sri Lanka, Ethiopia, Kenya, and Bangladesh.
- Who
- Victims from over 80 countries, primarily from Indonesia, India, Sri Lanka, Ethiopia, Kenya, and Bangladesh; criminal networks
- What
- Trafficking of people to work in online scam centers
- When
- Ongoing, with increasing cases; IOM assistance from 2022 to 2025
- Where
- Primarily across Asia, with significant impact in East Asia, Australia, and New Zealand
- Why
- Criminal networks lure victims with fake job advertisements and exploit them through violence and debt bondage
Government and NGO Response
Criminal Networks
Efforts to Combat Trafficking
Government and NGO Response
Governments and NGOs are working to rescue and assist victims, with the IOM having helped over 3,500 victims between 2022 and 2025.
Criminal Networks
Criminal networks continue to lure victims through fake job advertisements and exploit them in online scam centers.
- Organization
- International Organization for Migration (IOM)
- Victims' Origins
- Over 80 countries, with most victims from Indonesia, India, Sri Lanka, Ethiopia, Kenya, and Bangladesh
- Estimated Losses
- $114 billion in East Asia, Australia, and New Zealand in 2023
- Victims Assisted
- Over 3,500 victims assisted by IOM between 2022 and 2025
- Recruitment Method
- Fake job advertisements, mostly through social media
- Exploitation Methods
- Locked up, documents seized, forced through violence, threats, and debt bondage