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UN warns thousands trafficked into online crime in SE Asia

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Agence France-Presse

<figure class="op-interactive"><iframe height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Jgia2QYdCPc?enablejsapi=1" width="560"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more News on <a href="https://www.iwanttfc.com/#!/browse/Genres/News/tag_id_genres/id_news" target="_blank">iWantTFC</a></div><p>GENEVA — Hundreds of thousands of people are being coerced in Southeast Asia by criminal gangs into carrying out online scams, often under the threat of torture, the United Nations said Tuesday.</p><p>Many have been trafficked into working in online criminality and face serious violations such as torture or sexual violence, the UN said in a report.</p><p>&quot;People who are coerced into working in these scamming operations endure inhumane treatment while being forced to carry out crimes,&quot; UN human rights chief Volker Turk said.</p><p>&quot;They are victims. They are not criminals.&quot;</p><p>The scale of the scourge in Southeast Asia is difficult to gauge because of the practice&#x27;s clandestine nature and gaps in the response by authorities, the report noted.</p><p>However, it said that credible sources indicated that at least 120,000 people across Myanmar may be held in situations where they are forced to carry out online scams.</p><p>Estimates in Cambodia are at around 100,000, it added.</p><p>Laos, the Philippines and Thailand are among other nations in the region identified as the main countries of destination or transit.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/03/16/23/bi-warns-pinoys-anew-vs-call-center-trafficking-scam-abroad">BI warns Pinoys anew vs call center trafficking scam abroad</a></li>	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/11/30/22/dmw-looking-into-alleged-trafficking-of-pinoys-to-cambodia-laos">DMW looking into alleged trafficking of Filipinos to Cambodia, Laos for crypto scam</a></li></ul><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/I_0zjq78Lio?enablejsapi=1" width="560"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more News on <a href="https://www.iwanttfc.com/#!/browse/Genres/News/tag_id_genres/id_news" target="_blank">iWantTFC</a></div><p>The scam centers generate revenue amounting to billions of dollars a year, the UN said.</p><p>Victims come from across the ASEAN region, mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, South Asia and further afield from Africa and Latin America.</p><p>Most people trafficked into the online scam operations are men, although women and teens are also victims, the report said.</p><p>The illicit networks benefited from the COVID pandemic, which in some countries saw casinos closed under public health measures.</p><p>This led to casino operators moving to less regulated spaces, including conflict-affected border areas, and online, the report said.</p><p>The COVID crisis also left many migrants more vulnerable, stranded in countries and out of work due to border and business closures.</p><p>Lockdowns also saw people spending more time online and susceptible to becoming targets of online fraud, the report said.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/APw3XwUAn5U?enablejsapi=1" width="560"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more News on <a href="https://www.iwanttfc.com/#!/browse/Genres/News/tag_id_genres/id_news" target="_blank">iWantTFC</a></div><p>© Agence France-Presse</p>

Hundreds of thousands of people are being coerced in Southeast Asia by criminal gangs into carrying out online scams, the UN said. 