Would SL fall victim to the cybercrime industry?

The recent arrest of 37 Chinese nationals who were involved in cybercrime related activities and subsequently deported from the country, raises fresh concerns on whether foreign cybercrime syndicates have infiltrated into Sri Lanka. 

When dozens of Sri Lankans were being lured into Myanmar in the guise of data entry operators, affected parties came forward to expose the harrowing conditions in which they had to work in. Victims were forced under threat to run online scams. Many had to engage in ‘pig-butchering scams’ where a relationship is cultivated online before the scammer tricks their victims to invest in cryptocurrency. With tools for translation and generative AI to develop deepfake video calls, scammers have no choice but to tick off their daily targets to escape from torture and salary deductions. 

Many Sri Lankans were repatriated after multiple discussions through diplomatic channels. Job advertisements for data entry operators require minimal qualifications. According to survivor testimonies they are required to face an online interview days before their departure and requirements included basic computer skills and typing speed. Knowledge of English was an added advantage. Many boys from rural areas had faced difficulties due to barriers in communication as they had no knowledge of English. Without proper food and sanitation facilities, they described these scamming centers as a “living hell.” Many of their experiences are proof that scamming operations involve modern day slavery.

Even a century after the 1926 Slavery Convention, slavery and trafficking continue to exist within cyber scam operations across South East Asia. According to the UN Human Rights report on cyber scam and trafficking, individuals who have been deceived, coerced or threatened into forced criminality in scam operations in the region meet the international legal definition of trafficked persons. 

Cyber scam operations in South East Asia have expanded rapidly in recent years, forming what UN experts have described as one of the fastest-growing criminal economies in the world. Estimates from Office of the United Nations Human Rights High Commissioner (OHCHR) indicate that at least 300,000 people from around 66 countries have been trafficked into such operations, with some compounds housing thousands or even tens of thousands of workers at a time. 

The recently arrested foreign nationals were found to have violated immigration laws. An article published in ‘The Guardian’ titled ‘The Age of the Scam State: how an illicit, multibillion dollar industry has taken root in South East Asia’ by Tess McClure refers to the emergence of a “scam state.” Like the “narco-state”, the article states that “the term refers to countries where an illicit industry has dug its tentacles deep into legitimate institutions, reshaping the economy, corrupting governments and establishing state reliance on an illegal network.” 

McClure quoting Jacob Sims, a visiting fellow at Harvard University’s Asia Centre and an expert on transnational and cybercrime in the Mekong, who observes the issue over the past five years, said that scamming has mutated from “small online fraud rings to an industrial scale political economy.” 

Due to the profitable nature of this illicit industry much of the infrastructure is being made available. In the Sri Lankan context, there are possibilities of renting out or purchasing normal houses to fully-fledged apartments. In Myanmar, scamming hubs such as KK Park thrived in conflict zones and poorly regulated border areas. 

The National Anti-Human trafficking Task Force, the International Organisation, Regional Support Office for Bali Process and several other entities are currently involved in controlling the trafficking of persons. It has been understood that regional cooperation is important when responding to this growing challenge. Some key initiatives taken by the State include strengthened coordination mechanisms, enhanced screening protocols at borders and airports, increased engagement with Sri Lankan diplomatic missions overseas, and the ongoing development of the forthcoming National Strategic Action Plan (NSAP) 2026-2030. 

But despite these interventions foreign nationals continue to engage in these operations while on tourist visa. Therefore it is high time that national regulations are being strengthened to curb cybercrime-related activities before citizens as well as the state fall victim to this illicit industry.