MARRAKECH, Morocco - INTERPOL’s General Assembly has adopted a resolution addressing the growing threat posed by transnational scam centres - criminal hubs linked to large-scale fraud, human trafficking and abuse.
Often under the pretext of lucrative overseas jobs, victims are trafficked into compounds where they are forced to carry out illicit schemes such as voice phishing, romance scams, investment fraud and cryptocurrency scams targeting individuals worldwide.
While not everyone working in a scam centre is a victim of human trafficking, those who are held against their will frequently endure abuse including physical violence, sexual exploitation, torture and rape.
The resolution, proposed by the Republic of Korea, also highlighted the increased use of advanced technologies by criminals to deceive victims and mask their operations, with the highly adaptive nature of these cross-border criminal networks requiring a coordinated global response.
Global plan for joint action
Recommendations for an increased international law enforcement response include:
- Real-time intelligence-sharing to identify perpetrators, locations and modi operandi
- Multinational joint operations supported by INTERPOL
- Targeting of criminal financing and illicit assets linked to scam networks
- Standardized emergency protocols to locate, rescue and repatriate victims as well as expanded victim support
- Global awareness campaigns targeting vulnerable groups such as youths and job seekers
INTERPOL Secretary General Valdecy Urquiza said:
“To effectively counter these criminal networks, we must strengthen collaboration, improve information sharing and move forward with coordinated, decisive action.”
“INTERPOL is committed to supporting the resolution’s implementation and working with member countries to break these operations apart and protect the people who are most at risk.”
Scams a growing concern
In June, INTERPOL’s crime trend update revealed that victims from more than 60 countries have been trafficked into scam centres worldwide, including areas far beyond Southeast Asia. The update also highlighted increasingly sophisticated and diverse criminal operations, often overlapping with other illicit markets, such as drugs, firearms and wildlife trafficking.
In 2024, INTERPOL’s largest-ever global operation targeting trafficking-fuelled fraud across 116 countries and territories led to the arrest of over 2,500 individuals. Regional operations were also recently carried out in Africa and Europe.
INTERPOL first sounded the alarm on scam centres in 2022 when a Purple Notice was issued alerting Member Countries to the use of social media recruitment as an emerging modus operandi. In 2023, INTERPOL issued an Orange Notice on human trafficking-fuelled fraud, a global warning that the crime trend represents a serious and imminent threat to public safety.