Published on: 2026-07-28
Source: United Nations – United Nations –
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July 28, 2026 Peace and Security
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) said on Tuesday that criminals are involving hundreds of thousands of people worldwide in online scams – a rapidly growing multibillion-dollar criminal industry. The IOM warning came ahead of World Day Against Trafficking in Persons, observed on July 30.
According to the organization, victims of fraud are usually lured by fake job advertisements abroad. Upon arrival at the location, they are deprived of their documents, locked in guarded complexes, kept under constant surveillance, and forced through violence, threats, and debt bondage to participate in fraudulent schemes online. Many later report torture, sexual abuse, starvation, and solitary confinement.
IOM Director General Amy Pope emphasized that people held in fraudulent centers are victims of human trafficking, not criminals.
“They are forced to commit crimes through violence and threats. They deserve protection, not punishment,” she said.
Pope called on countries to take joint action: “We must work together to support those affected, stop human traffickers, and close the loopholes exploited by criminal networks. No country can handle this alone.”
New data from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime shows that the total annual losses from online fraud in East and Southeast Asia, Australia, and New Zealand in 2025 amounted to between 88.3 and 114.1 billion dollars.
In response to the expansion of human trafficking for the purpose of coercion into criminal activities, IOM has introduced a new Regional Response Strategy for the Asia-Pacific region for 2026–2030. The document provides for strengthening victim protection, prevention, cross-border cooperation, and reinforcing partnerships to disrupt criminal networks.
From 2022 to 2025, IOM provided assistance to more than 3,500 victims of human trafficking from 39 countries, including Indonesia, India, Sri Lanka, Ethiopia, Kenya, and Bangladesh.
IOM emphasizes that the liberation of victims is only the first step. The consequences of violent detention include severe psychological trauma, stigmatization, lack of documents, and fear of criminal prosecution. The organization helps them obtain protection, return home, and undergo reintegration, as well as cooperates with governments and law enforcement agencies.
IOM calls on countries to continue supporting victims of human trafficking by providing them protection, safe return, and reintegration, while simultaneously expanding awareness campaigns about traffickers’ tactics so that people can recognize the risks and know where to seek help.
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