Published on: 2026-07-30
Source: United Nations – United Nations –
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July 30, 2026 Peace and Security
According to United Nations estimates, criminal groups are currently forcing more than 300,000 people in Southeast Asia to commit cybercrimes, including online fraud operations, often under harsh and humiliating conditions. This information was disclosed on World Day Against Trafficking in Persons, observed on July 30.
By the end of 2025, among the identified victims of human trafficking forced to participate in fraudulent schemes, there were representatives of nearly 80 nationalities. Although Southeast Asia remains the primary hub in this area, the model has spread to the Middle East, Africa, Eastern and Southeastern Europe, South Asia, the Pacific region, Latin America, and the Caribbean. No region is immune to this problem, warned the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) on Thursday.
Fraud centers are run by highly organized transnational criminal networks. According to UNODC estimates, cyber fraud alone generated illegal profits of between $18 billion and $37 billion for criminals in Southeast Asia in 2023.
UN Chief Calls on Countries to Join Forces
In the message from the UN Secretary-General on the occasion of the World Day against Trafficking in Persons, it is emphasized that the fastest growing form of exploitation of trafficking victims is coercion into online fraud.
Around the world, people are lured by promises of legal work, only to end up in the hands of transnational criminal networks and forced to engage in fraud under the threat of violence. Such operations generate billions of dollars for criminals, and modern technologies, including artificial intelligence, enable them to act at unprecedented speed.
The UN Secretary-General called on states to unite efforts — from cooperation between intelligence agencies and financial regulators to stopping flows of illicit income. António Guterres reminded that in 2024 countries adopted the UN Convention against Cybercrime and urged governments to expedite its ratification, combat corruption facilitating criminal networks, and demand that technology companies prevent abuses on their platforms. The Secretary-General specifically emphasized the need to support people who have survived exploitation in fraud centers.
“‘Forced’ crime”
The interagency coordination group on combating human trafficking published a statement on Thursday, which focuses primarily on “forced” crime – a form of exploitation that, according to the 2024 Global Report on Trafficking in Persons, has become the third most common worldwide.
The group’s experts noted that behind millions of fraudulent operations stand hundreds of thousands of victims: they are recruited through fake job offers, held in guarded premises, and forced to commit crimes. Among the victims, there are increasingly people with education, language skills, and digital competencies.
Women in such situations are also at risk of sexual violence. Children are increasingly being drawn into fraudulent schemes on digital platforms.
Refugees, migrants, and stateless persons remain particularly vulnerable to human traffickers – the lack of documents, insufficient information, and economic instability make them easy prey for criminals.
Corruption and involvement in criminal activities by officials allow criminal schemes to expand, experts emphasize.
They also note that victims often end up in prisons and deportation centers – they are punished for crimes they were forced to commit. This violates their right to protection, hinders seeking help, and strengthens the impunity of criminal groups.
The UN emphasizes: human trafficking in any form is a gross violation of human rights. The international community must act in concert to protect victims and deprive criminal networks of the ability to use technology and global connections to exploit people.
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