Online Scam 'Pandemic' Sweeping Southeast Asia Puts Thailand and the World on Alert
A recent surge in highly organized online scams running out of Southeast Asia has escalated into what experts are calling a global “scamdemic,” with billions of dollars stolen, hundreds of thousands of victims, and entire communities in Thailand and across the region at risk. The phenomenon, driven largely by transnational criminal networks, is now recognized as a crisis threatening personal safety, national security, and international cooperation.
What began as a relatively contained problem has exploded in scale and complexity, fueled by the COVID-19 pandemic, regulatory loopholes, and advances in digital communications. According to a report by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), fraud syndicates run primarily by Chinese organized crime have set up scam hubs in countries including Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, and the Philippines, with operations increasingly targeting Thais and foreigners alike (VOA News). These criminal enterprises lure job seekers with false promises, only to force them into working in call center-like factories under threats of violence and, in some cases, death.