Asian scam gangs snare educated English speakers with fake job ads: UN agency

Victims from over 80 different countries are being trafficked into cross-border scams, the International Organisation for Migration says

The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) says victims are often lured by fake job advertisements – mostly through social media – promising work abroad, only to get locked up, have their identity documents seized, and be forced through violence, threats and “debt bondage” to participate in the online scams.

“We’re seeing so many more of these cases emerge right now,” IOM Director General Amy Pope told reporters in Geneva on Tuesday. “We’re seeing victims from over 80 different countries being trafficked into the scams.”

‘They’re recruiting people who often speak English very well, who often have graduate degrees, some level of education,” Pope said, adding that the cases were “specifically playing out across Asia”.

A significant portion of those were themselves tricked into employment, Pope said.

“People trapped in scam compounds are victims of trafficking, forced to commit crimes through violence, threats and coercion,” said Pope, who formerly worked as a prosecutor of human trafficking cases. “We must work together to support survivors, stop traffickers and close the gaps these criminal networks exploit.”