UK Announces Joint Action To Make Southeast Asia Safer From Scams

Masterminds behind industrial-scale scam centres in Southeast Asia targeted by sanctions, in coordination with US. Actions will expose and disrupt the network’s operations, locking them out of the UK financial system.

UK helping to tackle economic scourge which cost East and Southeast Asia US $37 billion in 2023. 

The UK has sanctioned a multi-billion-pound global network involved in operating scam centres which torture their trafficked workers. 

Scam centres based in Southeast Asia are defrauding victims across the world on an industrial scale. In East and Southeast Asia alone, estimated losses from cyber-enabled fraud in 2023 reached up to US $37 billion, with much larger global losses attributed to scams originating from the region. 

Those behind these operations are trafficking tens of thousands of foreign nationals – from over 50 countries – to staff their operations across Southeast Asia. Trapped and subjected to inhumane conditions in purpose-built compounds or disused casinos, they are forced to carry out online fraud under threat of beating, electrocution, or sale to other compounds. Amnesty International has described this as an “alarming human rights crisis”. 

This is why the UK, in coordination with the US, has announced sanctions to combat the growing transnational threat posed by this network, uphold human rights and keep dirty money off the UK’s streets. These actions will also expose and disrupt the network’s operations, helping to protect nationals from the UK and Southeast Asia from the damaging impact of fraud. 

 This is the latest example of strong UK action tackling this type of activity in this region – including a string of sanctions against individuals and entities in late 2023 for their involvement in human trafficking for work on scam farms. 

 UK Foreign Office Minister Stephen Doughty said: “Scam centres cheat British people out of their hard-earned money, while trapping vulnerable victims in the headquarters of their web of deception – so we are taking decisive action.

“Scam centres do not respect borders. This is a transnational threat that requires coordinated, collective action to stem the tide of illicit finance that threatens human rights, economic growth, and national security in equal measure. 

“We have taken decisive action to protect British citizens and the integrity of our financial system.  We recognise the harms caused by illicit finance to this region and are committed to working in partnership with countries in Southeast Asia, supporting their local efforts to clamp down on scam centres and the networks that operate them.”