AI-driven human trafficking scams from Southeast Asia spreading globally

Interpol reveals new crime trend: human trafficking-driven online scam centres forcing victims to commit fraud, rapidly spreading from Southeast Asia to all continents, enhanced by AI and other crimes.

Online scam centres driven by human trafficking have become a global threat in the digital age.

The International Criminal Police Organisation (Interpol) has revealed a recent crime trend, stating that "human trafficking-fueled scam centres" have rapidly expanded their networks from Southeast Asia to new areas in West Africa, the Middle East, Central America, and worldwide in recent years.

In its March 2025 report, Interpol stated that victims from at least 66 countries have fallen prey to human trafficking and forced labour in online scam centres.

Seventy-four per cent of victims were taken to the traditional "hub" areas in Southeast Asia, while scam centres in other countries are emerging, with West Africa potentially becoming the new hotspot for this type of crime.

Many human trafficking victims are lured through fake job advertisements, then detained in compounds and forced to engage in online fraud, including investment scams, money transfers, romance fraud, and online gambling.

Those who resist are often threatened, and some face brutal abuse or even torture.While not all workers in scam centres are human trafficking victims, those coerced into committing crimes are often intimidated with debt, forced to work endlessly, and some endure severe psychological distress.

Another form of victimisation involves those deceived online in other parts of the world, who lose large sums of money and, in some cases, their financial stability.

Interpol describes these online scam centres as a "double-edged threat," impacting both those forced to commit fraud and victims deceived through screens from other countries.

The trend has intensified since 2023, prompting the issuance of an urgent Orange Notice to warn of the serious and escalating threat.

International operations coordinated by Interpol with police forces from various countries have uncovered multiple cases of human trafficking for forced criminal activities.

For example, in 2024, authorities raided a large scam centre in the Philippines, and in Namibia, a centre was dismantled where 88 young people were forced to engage in fraud.

Police seized 163 computers and 350 mobile phones for investigation.

In addition to forced labour and systematic deception, Interpol has also warned that the use of artificial intelligence (AI) is becoming a new tool for criminals.

AI is being used to craft highly convincing fake job advertisements and create deceptive profiles and images through Deepfake technology to lure victims into various scams, such as romance scams or sextortion.These criminal networks also use the same trafficking routes to smuggle drugs, weapons, and protected wildlife, such as tigers and pangolins.

This means that "scam centres" are no longer just hubs for cybercrime, but are increasingly becoming epicentres for a variety of transnational crimes.

Interpol's data also highlights the profile of "human trafficking facilitators," key drivers behind this crime. Over 80% are male, and 61% are aged between 20 and 39 years.

Meanwhile, 90% are of Asian descent, with 11% from Africa or South America, reflecting the complexity of global criminal networks.

Cyril Gout, acting Director of Police Services at Interpol, emphasised that addressing this threat requires genuine international cooperation.

This includes intelligence sharing between countries, building partnerships with NGOs that assist victims, and collaborating with technology companies whose platforms are exploited for scams.

Interpol continues to push for strict legal action, conducting joint operations with countries worldwide. These efforts have helped rescue many human trafficking victims, arrest perpetrators, and seize criminal assets.

Through mechanisms like I-GRIP, which halts illegal money transfers, hundreds of millions of dollars have been blocked.

In an era where cybercrime evolves as quickly as the technology used for deception, surveillance, and global collaboration, have become essential in combating online scam centres, which are increasingly tied to new forms of human trafficking.

(2025/07/02-00:00)