UN Exposes Global Torture Network in Scam Compounds

The report updates earlier UN findings from 2023 and draws on interviews with survivors, police and border officials, civil society actors and others familiar with the operations.

A searing new report from the UN Human Rights Office reveals the brutal reality behind the world’s fast-expanding scam industry, documenting torture, sexual abuse, forced criminality and extortion inside vast, fortified compounds that traffic hundreds of thousands of people across borders.

Published today, the report provides one of the most comprehensive and graphic accounts to date of the human cost behind transnational online fraud operations, most of which are concentrated in Southeast Asia but now spreading across multiple regions worldwide.

Nearly Three-Quarters of Operations in Mekong Region

Using satellite imagery, survivor testimony and on-the-ground reporting, the UN found that nearly 75 percent of identified scam operations are located in the Mekong region — particularly in Cambodia, Lao People’s Democratic Republic and Myanmar. However, the model has expanded to Pacific Island nations, South Asia, Gulf States, West Africa and parts of the Americas.

Survivors interviewed originated from Bangladesh, China, India, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, South Africa, Thailand, Viet Nam and Zimbabwe. They were trafficked between 2021 and 2025 into scam centres in Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar, the Philippines and the United Arab Emirates.

The report updates earlier UN findings from 2023 and draws on interviews with survivors, police and border officials, civil society actors and others familiar with the operations.

Inside Fortified “Scam Cities”

Many victims described being lured abroad with promises of legitimate employment, only to find themselves detained in highly secured compounds resembling self-contained towns — some sprawling over 500 acres.

These facilities often consist of multi-storey buildings encircled by high walls topped with barbed wire and guarded by armed security personnel. Workers are closely monitored and subjected to severe punishment for failing to meet financial targets.

One Thai survivor said workers were required to generate approximately $9,500 per day in scam proceeds to avoid fines, beatings or being “sold” to another compound with harsher conditions.

Torture, Sexual Abuse and “Water Prisons”

The report documents systematic torture and other forms of cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment, including:

• Immersion in water containers — known as “water prisons” — for hours

• Food deprivation and solitary confinement

• Tasering and severe beatings

• Sexual abuse and exploitation

• Forced abortions

• Forced witnessing or perpetration of abuse

A Sri Lankan victim reported that workers who missed monthly scamming targets were submerged in water containers for hours as punishment.

A Bangladeshi survivor recounted being ordered to beat other trafficked workers to enforce compliance. Another victim described being forced to watch a friend being beaten.

Failed escape attempts frequently ended in severe reprisals. One Vietnamese survivor said her sister was beaten, tasered and locked without food for seven days after attempting to help her escape.

Others described people dying while trying to flee — falling from balconies and rooftops of the fortified compounds.

Traffickers also used psychological torture. Victims reported being forced to video call family members while being beaten to pressure relatives into paying ransom demands.

Corruption and Official Complicity

The report highlights allegations of corruption and complicity, including border officials aiding recruiters and police engaging in threats and extortion.

Despite the immense profitability of scam syndicates — which generate billions of dollars annually in online fraud schemes including impersonation scams, financial fraud, romantic scams and online extortion — accountability remains limited.

“The treatment endured by individuals within the context of scam operations is alarming,” the report states.

Forced Criminality and Victim Stigmatization

A key finding is that victims are frequently coerced into committing online fraud under threat of violence. Yet when rescued or repatriated, they often face disbelief, stigmatization or even prosecution.

“The litany of abuse is staggering and at the same time heart-breaking,” said UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk. “Yet, rather than receiving protection, care and rehabilitation as well as the pathways to justice and redress to which they are entitled, victims too often face disbelief, stigmatization and even further punishment.”

Türk emphasized the need to explicitly recognize forced criminality within anti-trafficking laws and to uphold the non-punishment principle for trafficking victims.

A Behavioural Science Approach to Prevention

In a notable innovation, the report applies behavioural science and systems analysis to examine why individuals continue to fall prey to fraudulent recruitment despite growing awareness.

It identifies key drivers including economic desperation, misleading online job advertisements, peer recruitment tactics, normalization of migration for work, and the absence of safe and regulated labour migration pathways.

The UN calls for:

• Clear legal recognition of forced criminality

• Human rights-centred rescue and rehabilitation operations

• Respect for the principle of non-refoulement

• Accessible trauma and torture rehabilitation services

• Stronger oversight and verification of online job postings

• Monitoring and flagging suspicious recruitment patterns

• Expanded safe labour migration pathways

Türk urged States to engage trusted community actors, including survivor-led groups, to deliver accessible and credible awareness campaigns.

Crackdown on Corruption and Criminal Syndicates

The report stresses that corruption is deeply entrenched within the scam ecosystem and calls on States and regional bodies to dismantle the criminal networks profiting from exploitation.

It also underscores the importance of protecting independent media, human rights defenders and civil society organizations working to expose trafficking and assist victims.

Without coordinated cross-border enforcement, rights-based protection mechanisms and anti-corruption measures, the UN warns the scam industry will continue expanding into new regions.

The report concludes that trafficking into scam compounds is not only a criminal justice issue but a global human rights emergency requiring urgent, systemic and coordinated international action.