A first operation by the international police body Interpol targeting the phenomenon of human trafficking-fuelled fraud has found further evidence that the crime trend is expanding beyond south east Asia, the authorities report.
Countries taking part stretched from South Africa and Australia to China and Turkey (Turkish law enforcement for example apprehended 239 migrant smugglers while patrolling the country’s coastline, intercepting nearly 4,000 irregular migrants).
The authorities pointed to an expanding geographical footprint of cyber scam cases. In a pre-operational phase, Interpol supported national authorities for a case in which 40 Malaysian victims were lured to Peru with the promise of a high-paying job, only to be forced to commit telecommunications fraud.
In October, reports were received from Ugandan law enforcement of several citizens taken to Dubai – allegedly for employment – before being diverted to Thailand and then Myanmar. There, the victims were handed over to an online fraud syndicate and kept under armed guard while being taught to defraud banks.
In India, police from the state of Telangana registered one of their first cases of human trafficking for the purpose of cyber fraud. An accountant was lured to south east Asia where he was made to take part in online fraud schemes in inhuman conditions. He was eventually able to leave after payment of a ransom.
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William Wright, CEO of Closed Door Security said Interpol highlighted how the whole criminal ecosystem is becoming increasingly interlinked. “Now we are seeing people being trafficked and forced to commit cyber fraud, which links two of the biggest underworld industries. Gangs are now resorting to kidnapping to force people to carry out fraud, which also shows just how far beyond digital cybercrime has become today.
“The update also highlights just how many scam centres are in operation today, but the numbers announced by Interpol are a drop in the ocean in comparison to the reality. Scam centres are everywhere – in every region in the world. Criminals understand how easy it is to trick people into handing over their sensitive information, or clicking on a malicious link, so they understand the money-making opportunities are endless.
“To fight back against these horrible crimes, we need to see more collaboration from law enforcement across the world, where data is shared, and criminals are publicly sanctioned.
“We must also make consumers more aware of these scams, so they are better educated to recognise them, and ignore them, before clicking on a malicious link or handing over their confidential information. Doing this will have a knock-on effect on scam centre profits, which will significantly hurt the criminals behind them.”
