"UN Warns Hundreds of Thousands in Southeast Asia Roped Into Online Scams"

The U.N. human rights office recently announced that criminal gangs have forced hundreds of thousands of people in Southeast Asia into participating in unlawful online scam operations, including false romantic ploys, bogus investment pitches, and illegal gambling schemes.  The U.N. human rights office said that at least 120,000 people in strife-torn Myanmar and roughly 100,000 in Cambodia “may be held in situations where they are forced to carry out online scams.”  Laos, the Philippines, and Thailand were also cited among the main countries of destination or transit for tens of thousands of people.  The human rights office noted that criminal gangs have increasingly targeted migrants and lured some victims by false recruitment, suggesting they are destined for real jobs.  The human rights office stated that some victims have been subjected to torture, cruel punishments, sexual violence, and arbitrary detention, among other crimes.  In June, Philippine police backed by commandos led a raid to rescue more than 2,700 workers from China, the Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia, and more than a dozen other countries who were allegedly swindled into working for fraudulent online gaming sites and other cybercrime groups.

SecurityWeek reports: "UN Warns Hundreds of Thousands in Southeast Asia Roped Into Online Scams"