Reporting responsibly on trafficking for forced scamming

In this interview, Cynthia Veliko, acting Regional Director at the UN Human Rights Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific, and Andrea Marshall, DW Akademie’s Director of the Displacement and Dialogue Asia Program, explain scam trafficking in Asia, why migrants and refugees are particularly affected and what media can do to raise awareness.

DW Akademie: Many people know identity and romance scams – fraudsters posing as bank staff, police officers, or romantic partners to obtain money from their victims. Yet few have heard the term "trafficking for forced scamming." What is it? 

Cynthia Veliko (OHCHR): The scams are run from various scales of operations including large compounds in the Mekong region, often former casinos repurposed as call centers. From there, many individuals target victims around the world and persuade them to transfer money or disclose sensitive information. “Trafficking for forced scamming” refers to the widespread practice of luring people into these centers with a promise of employment and then forcing them to carry out financial fraud online. It is a new form of exploitation that turns the promise of a quick income into a mechanism of contemporary forms of slavery. 

What methods are commonly used?

Veliko: We recently conducted a major study on this "wicked” problem, to understand and address the human rights implications of scam operations in the region, including through a behavioral science and systems analysis approach. The report describes scam centers as highly organized criminal operations that engage in human trafficking and forced criminality. 

Survivors describe how they were recruited through false promises of employment. Three quarters of those interviewed by OHCHR said they had been recruited by someone they knew, while many others were approached through social media. They travelled believing they had secured decent jobs that would allow them to support their families back home. 

Upon arrival, however, their identity documents were often confiscated, preventing them from leaving. Under threats of violence, physical abuse and confinement, they were forced to participate in scams. Some were even sold from one scam center to another. 

The report contains shocking testimonies about the treatment of trafficked individuals. One survivor from Bangladesh described being beaten and subjected to electric shocks. A man from Thailand reported that he was suspended by one arm and forced to remain in that position for an entire day. A woman from Sri Lanka recounted that those who failed to meet their monthly fraud targets were locked in water tanks for hours. 

Those who manage to escape often face new challenges that can include arrest, detention, criminal charges, social stigma, financial hardship and trauma. There are legal blind spots and in many countries, the trafficking that forces people into these criminal activities is not adequately addressed, leaving victims without protection. 

One man who spent one year and seven months in prison after escaping a scam center summed up his experience by saying: "It was like escaping a tiger only to meet a crocodile."

How widespread are these practices in Asia? How many people are affected?

Veliko: It is estimated that more than 300,000 people have been trafficked into online scam operations across Southeast Asia. 

The victims come from at least 80 countries, not only from Asia but also from other regions of the world. These were often young people who travelled in search of promising employment opportunities only to find themselves at the mercy of criminal networks. Structural gaps in migration governance and the lack of accessible regular pathways can make it difficult to distinguish between genuine migration pathways and fraudulent recruitment that can lead to trafficking. 

Meanwhile, the perpetrators generate staggering profits, estimated at around $64 billion every year. 

Andrea, your team focuses on migrants and refugees. What makes these groups particularly vulnerable to recruitment by criminal operations? 

Andrea Marshall (DW Akademie): Living far from home, while frequently facing language barriers and limited economic opportunities in their host countries, they are particularly susceptible to exploitation. When they are undocumented, their uncertain legal status often restricts access to formal banking services and secure employment, pushing them towards informal and sometimes illegal labor markets. 

What I find especially disturbing in forced scamming is that these criminal networks do not merely exploit vulnerable people; they coerce them into exploiting others. Victims are forced to become perpetrators themselves, perpetuating a cycle of abuse from which escape can be extremely difficult. 

Scam recruiters also prey on people who have limited access to reliable information and few resources to detect deception. In the OHCHR study, nearly 80 percent of interviewed survivors reported that they had never heard of scam compounds before being recruited. At the same time, 70 percent said they would consider migrating again. 

This demonstrates the urgent need for better reporting and greater awareness among journalists covering these issues. 

How has the media been dealing with these scams? 

Marshall: Many media outlets have focused primarily on the victims of the scams themselves rather than on the trafficking victims behind these operations. Journalists have often paid less attention to the people who, while they appear to be perpetrators because they are carrying out scams, yet are simultaneously victims of trafficking and coercion. Fortunately, this is beginning to change. 

At the same time, reporting on scam compounds remains challenging. In several countries across the region, shrinking civic space, including the use of strategic lawsuits against public participation (SLAPPs) against investigative journalists, civil society organizations and whistleblowers, has limited public scrutiny of these operations. This has hindered efforts to expose abuses, contributed to impunity, along with reduced accountability and access to remedies for victims. Across Asia and also other parts of the world, the media urgently needs to educate audiences about the hidden risks behind seemingly attractive job offers and suspiciously promising online deals. Greater public awareness can help people recognize warning signs and act more cautiously. 

For reporters, this means looking beyond stories of digital crime and investigating the exploitation that lies beneath the surface.

How should journalists approach reporting on this sensitive topic in order to avoid re-victimizing survivors?

Marshall: Ethical reporting is paramount when covering scam trafficking and its survivors. 

Journalists should embrace the principle of “nothing about us without us.” This means involving survivors in the storytelling process, obtaining informed consent and allowing them to determine how much of their experience they wish to share. The OHCHR report also highlights the importance of human-centered storytelling that brings forward the voices, experiences and perspectives of people who would otherwise remain invisible and unheard. 

Journalists should also rigorously verify information by cross-checking survivor testimonies with official data, NGO reports, expert assessments and legal documentation whenever possible. Simply reproducing information provided by the authorities can result in individuals being described as “scammers” before their status and circumstances have been adequately verified. 

By taking these steps, reporters can shine a light on this issue while minimizing the risk of causing further harm to people who have already experienced severe exploitation. 

What practical skills do the participants gain from the workshop?

Marshall: The three-day training combines theoretical learning with practical exercises designed to strengthen participants’ ability to investigate and report on scam trafficking, particularly in the context of forced and irregular migration. They also learned digital safety practices and heard from legal experts. 

Journalists need a deeper understanding of the complex realities of migration as well as the stereotypical narratives that often dominate migration reporting. We always want participants to avoid these common pitfalls and produce more nuanced, evidence-based journalism. This includes developing stories that balance personal experiences with broader analysis of the social, political, and economic factors that drive exploitation. 

The “Navigating Narratives on Migration and Scam Trafficking” workshop, led by Iqbal Fatkhi, is taking place October 6-8 in Bangkok, Thailand. The training is part of DW Akademie’s “Displacement and Dialogue Asia” program, funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).