The UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) on Feb. 20 released a report warning [13] that the rapid expansion of cyber-fraud compounds in Southeast Asia has resulted in widespread human rights abuses. The OHCHR described the phenomenon as a "wicked problem" requiring coordinated, human rights-based responses rather than enforcement-only crackdowns.
According to the OHCHR, current data suggests that at least 300,000 people [15] originating from 66 countries are currently forced to work in these operations. Hundreds of thousands of individuals have been trafficked into scam operations primarily in Cambodia [16], the Lao People's Democratic Republic, Myanmar and the Philippines.
The report states that the scam industry in the Mekong region alone is worth an estimated $43.8 billion a year, fueled by the rapid expansion of digital and cryptocurrency-based finance. Victims describe being held in "immense" compounds, some over 500 acres [17], which function as self-contained towns guarded by "uniformed and armed security personnel" and fortified with "barbed wire-topped high walls."
The OHCHR said the treatment endured [18] by individuals forced to work in scam operations is alarming. Survivors interviewed by the UN described confiscation [19] of passports, confinement in guarded compounds, beatings, threats against family members, sexual abuse, food deprivation, and psychological coercion. One survivor recounted being punished for attempting to assist others and said, "They put a gun to my head, handcuffed me, and made me hang by one arm in a dark room for a whole day." Another reported being told that daily scam targets had to reach the equivalent of thousands of US dollars to avoid punishment.
The UN rights office noted [20] that many victims were recruited through fraudulent job advertisements or personal contacts promising legitimate work in customer service, technology, or online marketing. Nearly three-quarters of survivors [21] interviewed said they were unaware that scam compounds existed before being trafficked. The trafficked individuals are often misidentified as perpetrators during law enforcement raids.
The UN linked the rapid expansion [18] of cyber-scam compounds to economic vulnerabilities, unsafe migration pathways, corruption, weak labor protections, and gaps in cross-border law enforcement cooperation. The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated [22] the growth of these operations, as organized crime groups reportedly shifted toward digital fraud schemes requiring large, controlled workforces.
The OHCHR called on governments [21] in the region and beyond to strengthen victim identification mechanisms, ensure access to remedies and rehabilitation, enhance safe migration channels, and improve international cooperation. The office also urged stronger oversight of digital platforms and financial systems that facilitate online fraud. The report situates the crisis [23] within international legal obligations, including the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons [24], supplementing the UN Convention against Transnational Organized Crime [25].
Criminal syndicates are now deploying Artificial Intelligence (AI) to scrape social media for vulnerable targets, generate multilingual scripts, and produce deepfakes for impersonation purposes. The UN has stated that these operations [19] often exist under an "umbrella of impunity." UN investigators have decried the “performative” nature of some recent law enforcement raids, noting that operations often "promptly resume or relocate" shortly after enforcement actions. This impunity is sustained by "state-embedded actors" who are ranked as the most prevalent type of criminal actor globally.
As the international community looks toward the United Nations Crime Congress [26] in 2026, the report serves as a "call to action" for states to move beyond "siloed responses" and adopt a unified global strategy against what has become one of the “gravest threats to humanity.”
From JURIST [27], Feb. 21. Used with permission.
