False job offers spread on social networks have become the main bait for one of the fastest growing forms of human trafficking in the world: the recruitment of people to force them to participate in online scams. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) warned that this practice already affects victims from more than 80 countries and generates multimillion-dollar profits for transnational criminal organizations.
A few days before World Day against Human Trafficking, which is commemorated on July 30, the UN agency warned that thousands of people accept supposed job opportunities abroad after responding to advertisements published on digital platforms. However, upon reaching their destination they discover that they have been deceived: their documents are confiscated and they are held in complexes where they are forced to commit online fraud under permanent surveillance.
"People trapped in these scam centers are victims of trafficking, forced to commit crimes through violence, threats and coercion. They deserve protection, not punishment," said IOM Director General Amy Pope, presenting the international alert.
The organization explained that victims are often subjected to beatings, threats, forced debt, isolation, food deprivation, and even sexual abuse and torture to force them to meet digital fraud quotas. Many of them were convinced to travel through apparently legitimate contracts to work in areas such as customer service, digital marketing or technology.
Amy Pope noted that criminal networks mainly look for people with higher education, English proficiency and computer skills, especially in countries with few job opportunities. He also warned that a common sign of deception is that victims travel on tourist visas instead of work permits.
The IOM highlighted that the consequences also reach families. Many sell land or take on debt to finance a family member's trip, believing that they will gain access to a well-paid job. Later, when they discover that it is being held by criminal organizations, some go back into debt to pay ransoms. Those who manage to return usually do so with severe psychological trauma, without economic resources and with significant debts.
The agency warned that this form of human exploitation has become a highly profitable business. Based on estimates from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), online scams caused losses of between $88.3 billion and $114.1 billion in East Asia, Southeast Asia, Australia and New Zealand during 2025 alone.
The IOM further estimates that around 300,000 people are currently working in centers dedicated to digital fraud in Southeast Asia. Although not all are victims of trafficking, the organization considers that a significant portion remains there against their will.
According to the UN, these complexes are usually installed in border areas or regions with little government presence, where authorities face greater difficulties in investigating and dismantling criminal operations. Furthermore, the transnational nature of these networks allows them to take advantage of legal loopholes and differences between judicial systems to avoid being prosecuted.
Although most of the scam centers where victims are exploited are located in Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos, the United States has already documented cases that affect it on two fronts: American citizens as victims of trafficking and as a country, it is the main target of the scams carried out from these centers.
