Human trafficking no longer begins only with false promises of factory work or domestic jobs. Today, it can start with a professional-looking job advertisement on social media, targeting university graduates, multilingual professionals and experienced jobseekers.
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) says online scam centres have become one of the world’s fastest-growing forms of human trafficking. Criminal networks are recruiting victims from more than 80 countries and forcing many of them to carry out online fraud under threats, violence and coercion.
Fake job offers are feeding a global criminal industry
According to IOM Director General Amy Pope, scam compounds across South-East Asia, particularly in Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos, employ as many as 300,000 workers.
Rather than targeting only vulnerable communities, recruiters increasingly focus on educated jobseekers. They advertise seemingly legitimate positions on social media and online recruitment platforms, often seeking candidates with strong English skills and university qualifications.
However, the promised jobs do not exist.
Once victims arrive, traffickers often confiscate their passports and prevent them from leaving. Many face physical abuse, psychological pressure and constant threats while being forced to participate in organised online scams.
Pope described these operations as both “highly organized” and “highly profitable.”
The financial impact reaches far beyond the scam compounds
The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime estimates that online scam operations generated between US$88 billion and US$114 billion in global losses last year.
Those figures highlight that the problem extends well beyond the countries where the compounds operate. Victims of the scams lose billions of dollars, while trafficked workers lose their freedom, income and often their physical and mental wellbeing.
Ahead of World Day Against Trafficking in Persons, observed on Thursday, Pope said the IOM has assisted more than 3,500 survivors from 33 countries. Many returned home after spending months or even years in captivity, carrying trauma, debt and few remaining financial resources.
Protecting jobseekers now requires greater awareness
The growing use of fraudulent online recruitment shows how human trafficking continues to evolve alongside digital technology.
Pope warned that authorities sometimes treat rescued workers as criminals instead of recognising them as trafficking victims who were forced to commit fraud through violence and intimidation.
She called for stronger cross-border cooperation, better prevention measures and greater public awareness to disrupt trafficking networks before they recruit more victims.
The IOM also urged governments and partners to continue supporting victims through protection, safe return and reintegration programmes while expanding public education on deceptive recruitment tactics.
As Pope noted, “People trapped in scam compounds are victims of trafficking, forced to commit crimes through violence, threats and coercion.”
Her message reflects a broader shift in how governments, employers and jobseekers may need to view online recruitment. A convincing job advertisement can now become the first step into an international trafficking network, making verification and awareness as important as the opportunity itself.
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Last modified: July 29, 2026
