Asian Cyber Gangs Shift to Africa, Latin America Amid Crackdowns

Organized crime groups from Asia, responsible for running multibillion dollar cyber scam operations, are rapidly expanding their reach beyond Southeast Asia into South America and Africa, according to a new report by the United Nations. Despite intensified law enforcement raids in the region, these syndicates continue to evade authorities by relocating to more vulnerable areas with weak governance.

The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) revealed that criminal networks have established sprawling compounds housing tens of thousands of workers, many of whom are victims of human trafficking. These individuals are often forced to participate in largescale fraud schemes targeting victims worldwide.

Benedikt Hofmann, UNODC Acting Regional Representative for Southeast Asia and the Pacific, described the situation as a growing crisis. "It is spreading like a cancer. The authorities treat it in one area, but the root never disappears it just migrates," he said.

The UNODC estimates that hundreds of these criminal scam farms operate globally, generating tens of billions in illicit revenue annually. The agency has urged countries to strengthen cooperation to disrupt the financial networks supporting these operations.

John Woycik, a UNODC regional analyst, noted that cyber scams have become one of the fastest growing transnational crimes due to their scalability. "The regional cyber scam industry is outpacing other transnational crimes, given that it is easy to scale and able to reach millions of potential victims online without needing to move illicit goods across borders," he explained.

In the U.S. alone, cryptocurrency fraud losses exceeded $5.6 billion in 2023, including over $4 million from "pig butchering" scams a deceptive scheme where fraudsters build trust with victims before extorting money, often targeting elderly and vulnerable individuals.

Recent crackdowns in China, Thailand, and Myanmar have forced some criminal groups to relocate. Thailand has taken drastic measures, cutting off electricity, fuel, and internet supplies to known scam compounds along its border with Myanmar. However, the syndicates have adapted by shifting operations to more remote areas in Laos, Cambodia, and Myanmar, where governance is weak and corruption is rampant.

Cambodia, once a hotspot for these operations, has seen a surge in new facilities in its western Koh Kong province and border regions with Thailand and Vietnam following law enforcement raids. Meanwhile, Myanmar, already destabilized by armed conflict since the military coup four years ago, remains a key hub for scam centers.

The UN report also highlights the syndicates' expansion into South America, where they are forging ties with drug cartels to strengthen money laundering networks. In Africa, operations are growing in Zambia, Angola, and Namibia, while Eastern Europe, including Georgia, has also become a new base for these criminal enterprises.

The workforce within these scam compounds has become increasingly diverse, with victims and recruits from over 50 countries—including Brazil, Nigeria, Sri Lanka, and Uzbekistan—rescued in recent raids.

The UNODC warns that the international community is at a "critical tipping point." Without coordinated action, the consequences of unchecked cybercrime could have far reaching global repercussions, particularly for Southeast Asia. The agency has called for stronger international collaboration to dismantle these networks before their influence becomes irreversible.