GENEVA, July 28 — The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) has warned that trafficking into online scam centres has become one of the world’s "fastest-growing" forms of human trafficking, with victims from more than 80 countries lured by fraudulent job offers and forced into criminal operations.
Anadolu Ajansı reported that its director general Amy Pope told the media in Switzerland that criminal networks are increasingly targeting educated job seekers through advertisements on social media.
"They present (it) completely as a regular job," she said on Tuesday, ahead of World Day Against Trafficking in Persons on Thursday, while noting that many recruits speak English well and hold university degrees.
Victims arriving at scam compounds often have their passports confiscated, face physical and psychological abuse, and are prevented from leaving.
Describing the operations as "highly organised" and "highly profitable," Pope cited recent United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime estimates showing annual global losses from online scam operations reached between US$88 billion (RM360.1 billion) and US$114 billion (RM466.4 billion) last year.
The IOM has assisted over 3,500 survivors from 33 countries, many of whom return home deeply traumatised, burdened by debt, and with few remaining resources after months or years in captivity.
She also warned that survivors are often wrongly treated as criminals rather than victims, calling for stronger cross-border cooperation, prevention efforts, and public awareness to disrupt trafficking networks and protect people from deceptive recruitment schemes.
An estimated 300,000 people are working in online scam centres, and while not all are trafficking victims, a significant number were deceived into entering the compounds and remain beyond the reach of assistance.
