Trafficking for cyber fraud an increasingly globalised crime, Interpol says

FILE PHOTO: A man passes Interpol signages at Interpol World in Singapore July 2, 2019. REUTERS/Edgar Su/File Photo

BANGKOK (Reuters) - Interpol said on Friday its first operation targeting human-trafficking fueled cyber fraud showed the criminal industry was going global, spreading beyond its origins in Southeast Asia, with scam centres emerging as far away as Latin America.

The global police coordination body said law enforcement from more than 20 countries in October carried out inspections at hundreds of trafficking and smuggling hotspots, many known to be used to traffic victims to commit online fraud "on an industrial scale, while enduring abject physical abuse".