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THE PROBLEM
Forced scamming is one of the most complex and fastest-growing forms of modern slavery in the world.
Criminals use social media platforms to falsely advertise lucrative jobs with good salaries and ideal working conditions. Traffickers will frequently arrange whatever accommodations are necessary to make the offer too good to refuse. When the victims arrive, perpetrators confiscate their passports, identification documents and cellphones to prevent them from leaving or calling for help. They are not allowed to leave and are frequently abused and beaten.
While Cambodia has initially emerged as a primary hotspot, exploitation has also been reported in Laos, Myanmar and the Philippines. Some experts suggest that the industry may be twice as large in Myanmar as in Cambodia, with criminal groups finding cover behind the country’s political and economic instability.
Fake, white-collar jobs are advertised with salary offers that are hard to turn down. Qualified individuals, some educated and multilingual, start out with high hopes only to find themselves trapped.
Roughly 300,000 people are working in operations in Cambodia, Myanmar and Laos alone. Victims from nearly 80 countries have been trafficked into online scam centers.
From official estimates and witness testimonies, IJM estimates that over US$16.4B is generated from this new form of trafficking every year in Cambodia alone.
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OUR SOLUTION
A Proven Community Protection Model
Scammers can enslave people for their profit with little fear of punishment because weak laws and corrupt authorities do not adequately hold them accountable. There are victims at multiple levels of this crime — those who have been trafficked and the people around the world who are victims of these scams. In 2021, IJM became one of the first organizations to expose forced scamming to the world and has worked to stop it ever since.
Our Response
IJM helps combat this crime in Cambodia, Indonesia, Thailand, Myanmar, the Philippines and Malaysia.
Our program office proactively coordinates with local government agencies and foreign embassies to help facilitate the rescue and repatriation of victims, seek accountability for perpetrators and connect with partners to provide legal and psychosocial support.
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Together with our partners, we:
IMPROVE VICTIM IDENTIFICATION : We help local authorities use a survivor-centered approach to identify and rescue trafficking victims from inside scam compounds, and support their safe return home.
INCREASE ACCOUNTABILITY: IJM helps police and authorities identify perpetrators and criminal networks. We support prosecutions, disrupt illegal recruitment pipelines and provide evidence to strengthen investigations.
SUPPORT SURVIVORS: IJM supports local survivor groups in Thailand and Indonesia. These groups provide peer support, raise awareness of forced scamming and increase pressure on justice officials to be part of the solution.
STRENGTHEN CROSS BORDER COORDINATION: As a trusted partner of police, courts and leaders, we work locally to implement programs and engage community leaders, international agencies and corporations to advocate for stronger justice systems.
Our Results
IJM has helped remove, care for, and/or support victim identification for more than 2700 individuals who we determined to be victims of forced labor slavery within Southeast Asia’s scam compounds.
Our team regularly engages with governments in the Asia Pacific region and around the world, UN Agencies, private sector companies, research agencies and civil society to share learning and find ways to coordinate and respond to this issue more effectively.
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IJM works with governments and local partners to strengthen protection for vulnerable workers in the Asia Pacific region. We support the efforts of our government partners to rescue and restore survivors, prosecute offenders and strengthen the justice and social service systems to ensure justice and aftercare support is accessible to all victims of labour trafficking. This is our progress so far (as of December, 2025)
WOMEN AND MEN BROUGHT
TO SAFETY
PERPETRATORS
CONVICTED
MEET MIRACLE*
Miracle, was lured by a promising job offer in Cambodia, only to find herself trapped in a forced scamming compound. Promised a high salary and benefits, she was instead coerced into creating fake social media profiles to scam people, facing grueling work hours and harsh penalties.
Through a hidden phone, Miracle contacted her family, leading to a rescue operation by Cambodian police. The perpetrators were arrested and convicted. Miracle’s story highlights the enormity of scam slavery in Southeast Asia and her hope for justice and protection for future victims.
read the story
Help protect vulnerable men and women from forced scamming
Today, You can help rescue victims, help survivors heal, and protect others from ever being trafficked in the first place.
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