A dream job abroad. A free air ticket. A salary several times higher than what a young person could earn in Nepal.
For a growing number of youth, that dream has ended behind the locked gates of scam compounds in Cambodia, Myanmar and elsewhere in Southeast Asia. Their passports and phones are confiscated, and they are forced to work long hours carrying out online fraud. Those who resist reportedly face threats, violence, starvation and torture.
The trafficking of Nepali youth into online scam operations has emerged as a rapidly growing form of transnational crime. Most victims travel on tourist visas, bypassing Nepal’s official foreign employment system and its screening mechanisms, allowing traffickers to operate with less scrutiny. The rise in Nepali tourist arrivals in Cambodia, from 101 in 2021 to 9,676 in 2025, illustrates the growing scale of this route.
This is the disturbing reality behind this year’s World Day Against Trafficking in Persons, observed on 30 July under the theme “Trapped Behind the Scam”. It draws attention to organised criminal networks that use digital technology to recruit, transport and exploit people in online scam centres.
Scam trafficking combines human trafficking with cyber-enabled fraud on an unprecedented scale. It generates enormous profits for criminal networks while devastating the lives of thousands of youths. It is not only a technology-facilitated crime, but also a failure of prevention, protection and accountability. It is a serious transnational crime that requires stronger international cooperation.
According to INTERPOL’s 2025 Global Crime Trend Update, as of March 2025, victims from 66 countries had been trafficked into online scam centres, with 74% taken to compounds in Southeast Asia. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) estimates that online scam operations generated between US$88.3 billion and US$114.1 billion across the Asia-Pacific region in 2025. These criminal enterprises are closely linked to human trafficking, cyber-enabled fraud, money laundering and other forms of transnational organised crime, making them one of the fastest-growing global security threats.
Scam trafficking and Nepali youth
On December 10, 2025, 47 Nepalis, including two women and a 17-year-old, were rescued from scam compounds in Myanmar and repatriated to Kathmandu. Many had completed high school, and some had information technology backgrounds. On 25 March 2026, another 51 Nepalis trafficked to Cambodia through fraudulent job offers were repatriated with support from the Nepali Embassy in Thailand, the Cambodian government and Non-Resident Nepali Association (NRNA) Cambodia. They had been lured by promises of well-paid jobs in customer service, digital marketing and information technology, then forced into online scams and casino-linked fraud. Some had also lost or had their passports confiscated.
Nepal Police data show that 422 Nepalis, including 400 men and 22 women, had been rescued from scam compounds in Cambodia by 2026. The Nepali Embassy in Thailand assisted in the rescue of 390 of them, comprising 372 men and 18 women. The figures illustrate both the growing scale of scam trafficking and the increasing burden it places on Nepal’s law-enforcement agencies and diplomatic missions. Their stories mirror those of thousands of victims from around the world.
However, nationwide prosecution data show that only 29 online scam-related cases have so far been filed under human trafficking or smuggling charges. These include 12 cases linked to Myanmar, 14 to Cambodia, seven involving trafficking and seven smuggling, and three to Laos.
According to Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Nakul Pokharel, Chief of the Nepal Police Anti-Human Trafficking Bureau (AHTB), most victims identified are young men aged 20–35.
“Young people are lured through social media and informal networks with promises of well-paid jobs in the digital or hospitality sectors. They often travel on tourist visas through India, Thailand or Vietnam,” SSP Pokharel said.
Traffickers contact potential victims through Facebook, Telegram, WhatsApp, TikTok, LinkedIn and online job portals, offering attractive salaries, free accommodation and visa support. These offers are designed to appear genuine. He urged young people to verify overseas employment offers through official channels and immediately report suspicious recruitment. He also emphasised the importance of intelligence sharing and joint investigations among countries to dismantle criminal networks.
The anti-trafficking systems in Nepal were designed primarily to respond to sexual exploitation and forced labour in conventional industries. Today, trafficking increasingly intersects with cybercrime, digital technology, cryptocurrencies and cross-border organised criminal networks. Investigations now require digital forensics, financial intelligence, cyber expertise and international evidence-sharing that extend well beyond conventional policing.
Condition of victims after they are trafficked
After arriving in Myanmar, Cambodia or Laos, victims often have their passports and phones confiscated and are confined in heavily guarded compounds. Instead of the well-paid jobs they were promised, they are forced to work 12 to 18 hours a day under constant surveillance, carrying out romance scams, fraudulent investment and cryptocurrency schemes, phishing, online gambling and other illegal activities. They must meet daily targets, and those who fail or resist may face threats, beatings, deprivation, extortion, blackmail, torture and severe psychological abuse.
Although victims may be involved in online fraud, many were deceived, trafficked and forced to participate under threat or violence. This distinction is essential. Survivors should be recognised and treated as victims of trafficking, with access to protection, support and justice, rather than punished for crimes they were compelled to commit.
SSP Pokharel says, “Those who fail to meet their targets are often subjected to physical and psychological abuse. Many victims face a painful dilemma: they are victims of human trafficking but were also forced to commit online fraud”. As a result, many are afraid to report their experiences to the police after returning home, making investigations and prosecutions more difficult.
Who is most vulnerable and why?
Young men aged 20–35 are the group most vulnerable to scam trafficking. Nepal Police data show that 37 of the 41 identified victims – 90.2% are male, while only four are female. This represents a significant shift from the traditional pattern of trafficking in Nepal, which has often been associated mainly with women and girls.
Criminal networks deliberately target educated but unemployed young people who have basic English, computer and typing skills. Many are actively looking for better employment opportunities abroad and may be under financial or family pressure to earn an income. Recruiters exploit these hopes by advertising fake overseas jobs through Facebook, TikTok, Telegram and other online platforms.
The advertised positions often include roles such as “computer operator”, “customer service representative” or “digital marketing assistant”, with promised salaries of USD 800 – 1,500 per month, along with free accommodation and visa support. Because the offers appear professional and attractive, many young people do not realise that they are being recruited into scam compounds until they arrive in the destination country.
From prevention to protection
Prevention begins with awareness. Jobseekers and their families need practical guidance on verifying overseas job offers, spotting fraudulent recruitment, recognising warning signs and reporting suspicious activity. Schools, universities, local governments, recruitment agencies, civil society and the media all have a role in raising awareness. Digital literacy has therefore become an essential tool in preventing human trafficking.
Technology companies also have responsibilities. Online platforms should respond more quickly to fraudulent job advertisements, fake recruiter accounts and organised recruitment networks that exploit their services to target vulnerable job seekers.
Governments must act urgently by strengthening prevention, improving regulation and international cooperation, protecting survivors, and holding traffickers accountable.
When trafficking occurs, safe repatriation is only the first step. Survivors often return with psychological trauma, financial loss, debt, social stigma and fear of retaliation or arrest. They need comprehensive support, including legal aid, psychosocial counselling, medical care, compensation, livelihood opportunities and long-term reintegration services. Laws and procedures must recognise the coercion they experienced and ensure that authorities treat them as victims rather than criminals.
The legal process is also difficult. Crimes span several jurisdictions, victims may be treated as suspects abroad, and evidence is often held on encrypted platforms. Successful prosecution requires effective legal assistance, intelligence sharing and close cross-border cooperation among law enforcement agencies.
Human rights advocates argue that people trapped in scam compounds should be recognised first and foremost as victims of organised crime. Although they may be forced to carry out online scams, they have often been deceived, trafficked and exploited through threats, coercion and violence. They deserve protection, rehabilitation and the opportunity to rebuild their lives, while governments work together to dismantle the criminal networks responsible for their exploitation.
Challenges
- No Dedicated Law: Nepal has no specific law on scam trafficking. Cases are prosecuted under the Human Trafficking and Transportation (Control) Act, 2064, making it difficult to make appropriate charges and convictions.
- Evidence Abroad: Key digital evidence, including Telegram chats, payment records and crime scenes, is usually located in Myanmar, Cambodia or Laos. International legal cooperation is often slow or ineffective.
- Limited Victim Cooperation: Many victims travelled on tourist visas and fear being treated as offenders because they were forced to take part in scams. This discourages reporting and testimony, limiting investigations.
- Weak Coordination: Coordination among the Anti-Human Trafficking Bureau, relevant departments and Nepalese embassies remains limited. There is no shared information system, and border screening is not designed to detect fraudulent job recruitment.
- Limited Resources: The AHTB faces budget constraints, frequent staff transfers and limited digital forensic capacity. Without a dedicated rescue and repatriation fund, it relies heavily on embassies and partner organisations.
On this World Day Against Trafficking in Persons, the message is clear: We must modernise our response to technology-facilitated trafficking, strengthen international collaboration and ensure that every survivor is treated with dignity, protection and justice. Criminal networks operate across borders. Our response must do the same. Nobody should leave home in search of a better future only to end up imprisoned behind a computer screen in a foreign country.
