Scam centers are spreading, and so is the human cost

Human trafficking tied to online scam centers is spreading across the globe, according to a new crime trend update from INTERPOL.

Human trafficking victims by country of origin (Source: INTERPOL)

By March 2025, people from 66 countries had been trafficked into these scam operations, with every continent affected. INTERPOL found that 74% of victims were taken to scam centers in Southeast Asia, the original hotspot for this type of crime.

But these centers are now also showing up in other regions, including the Middle East, West Africa, which may be turning into a new hub, and Central America. Most of the traffickers, around 90%, came from Asia. Another 11% were from South America or Africa.

Men made up 80% of the traffickers, and most were between 20 and 39 years old.

Global crisis

What started in a few Southeast Asian countries has now pulled in hundreds of thousands of trafficking victims. Many are lured by fake job offers, then trapped in compounds and forced to run online scams.

Not everyone working in these centers is trafficked, but those who are often face debt bondage, violence, and torture.

These scam operations also target a second group of victims, people around the world who lose money and suffer emotional harm.

Since 2023, INTERPOL has tracked how this crime pattern has grown from a regional issue into a global threat. It issued an Orange Notice warning of its serious risk to public safety. In 2024, a global INTERPOL-led operation uncovered dozens of cases where trafficking victims were tricked and forced to carry out scams. In one case, police raided a large-scale scam center in the Philippines. That same year, police shut down a scam center in Namibia, where 88 young people were being forced to commit fraud.

AI use is growing

INTERPOL’s update points to how new technologies and links to other crimes could change how scam centers operate.

AI is being used more often in scams. Criminals use AI to create fake job ads that lure trafficking victims. They also use deepfake tools to make fake photos and profiles for romance scams, sextortion, and other online tricks.

Reports reviewed by INTERPOL also show that the same routes used to move trafficking victims are sometimes used to smuggle drugs, guns, and endangered animals.

The regions in Southeast Asia where many scam centers are based are also hotspots for wildlife trafficking, including animals like tigers and pangolins. This overlap suggests these criminal networks are branching out into other illegal trades.

“We must increase the exchange of information between law enforcement in the growing number of countries affected and strengthen partnerships with NGOs that help victims and technology companies whose platforms are being exploited,” said Cyril Gout, Acting Executive Director of Police Services at INTERPOL.