Gangs netting up to $3 trillion a year as Southeast Asia human trafficking becomes a global crisis, Interpol says | CNN
Interpol reports booming human trafficking-fueled fraud industry in Southeast Asia generating $3 trillion annually for organized crime groups.
- Bilawal Riaz
- 1 min read
Interpol reports that human trafficking-fueled fraud in Southeast Asia is a booming industry, generating close to $3 trillion annually for organized crime groups. These criminal enterprises use various smuggling networks to move not only drugs but also humans, arms, and stolen goods. The rise of online anonymity and new business models, accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic, has allowed these groups to operate on a global scale, with Interpol making nearly 3,500 arrests and seizing $300 million in illicit assets since 2021. Survivors, NGOs, and media have exposed the increase in online fraud gangs using slave labor, with victims facing abuse and forced labor in scam compounds across the region. The United Nations estimates that hundreds of thousands of people are trafficked into online criminal activities, with hubs in countries like Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, and the Philippines. These operations range from illegal gambling to love scams and crypto fraud, with victims coerced into inhumane treatment. Authorities have also uncovered scams using advanced technology like artificial intelligence to defraud individuals and corporations, highlighting the sophistication of these criminal actions.