Lyon: Interpol has issued a global alert on the growing danger of trafficking scam centres spreading rapidly across South Asia. These criminal networks are tricking thousands of people with fake job offers and forcing them to work in scam operations under severe conditions.
The report reveals that victims from at least 66 countries are being trafficked to scam centres, mostly located in Southeast Asia but increasingly expanding into South Asia, the Middle East, and Africa. Many victims are young professionals lured by fraudulent employment advertisements, only to find themselves detained in guarded compounds.
Once captured, the victims are coerced into conducting online fraud—such as romance scams, investment cons, and fake crypto trading. They often suffer abuse, are kept in debt bondage, and denied freedom of movement or contact with family. Some are beaten, tortured, or forced into sexual exploitation.
Interpol notes that the rise in trafficking scam centres is fuelled by transnational criminal groups who are increasingly using artificial intelligence tools like deepfakes to trap victims. This includes generating fake video interviews, digital documents, and attractive employer profiles to appear legitimate.
Interpol has now issued an “Orange Notice” alerting international police forces of the urgent need to act. It calls for more cooperation between countries, better information sharing, and a stronger focus on victim rescue. Investigations also show these scam networks overlap with drug, arms, and wildlife trafficking routes, making them a high-priority threat.
Law enforcement agencies, NGOs and tech platforms are urged to collaborate closely to dismantle these operations. With the number of scam centres growing and methods evolving quickly, stopping this new wave of trafficking is becoming a global priority.
