UN researchers warn that Asian scam operations are spreading across the rest of the world

People from China, Vietnam and Ethiopia, believed to have been trafficked and forced to work in scam centres, sit with their faces masked while in detention after being released from the centers in Myawaddy district in eastern Myanmar, on Feb 26, 2025. — AP

BANGKOK: Transnational organised crime groups in East and South-East Asia are spreading their lucrative scam operations across the globe in response to increased crackdowns by authorities, according to a UN report issued on April 21.

For several years, scam compounds have proliferated in South-East Asia, especially in border areas of Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar, as well as in the Philippines, shifting operations from site to site to stay a step ahead of the police.