Bangkok (Thailand), 3 April 2025 - While older people have traditionally been the target of scams, it is their Generation Z grandchildren —those born between 1997 and 2012— who are increasingly at risk of being targeted, especially online. Losses to the cyberfraud industry in East and Southeast Asia amounted to USD 37 billion in 2023. Using sophisticated tools such as generative AI, criminal groups are now more ahead of the game today than ever before. Compounding the problem is the sad reality that lies behind the scammers: in most cases, they are victims of trafficking, and many of them are young.
One way to stop this criminal advance is through prevention, which was the aim of a recent national forum organized by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). Thai university students, migrants, civil society, government, law enforcement and private sector representatives gathered in Bangkok last week to raise awareness and prevent human trafficking and other abuses facilitated by digital technology.
“The ongoing crisis with respect to trafficking in persons, especially for the purpose of forced criminality into scam compounds as well as other abuses facilitated by technology, are posing a serious challenge to governments and individuals. This includes vulnerable persons such as young people, women, and migrants. As the world becomes increasingly connected, the risks associated with online exploitation grow, making it crucial for the younger generation and migrant communities to be well informed,” said Rebecca Miller, UNODC Regional Coordinator for Human Trafficking and Migrant Smuggling.
The main idea behind the forum, which is the first in a series to be held around the region, is to engage Southeast Asia’s youth in raising visibility about the risk of human trafficking and online scams. The initiative is organized by UNODC under the PROTECT project funded by the European Union and supported by the International Labour Organization (ILO), UN women, and UNICEF.
“Youth are often seen as vulnerable persons, however the reality is that young people are also powerful agents of change,” said Audrey-Anne Rochelemagne, Deputy Head of Cooperation at the European Union Delegation to Thailand. “As digital natives, youth have the power to shape narratives, raise awareness, and create innovative solutions to combat cybercrime and various forms of exploitation under trafficking in persons.”
Rochelemagne added that youth can educate their peers, report suspicious activities, or advocate for stronger policies — all of which can contribute to safe, inclusive, resilient online space free from exploitation. According to Police Lieutenant General Thatchai Pitaneelaboot, who also attended, the new target group for scammers is the youth.
The youngest participants suggested that such type of events should be more common, especially as they provide opportunities for them to interact with government authorities and law enforcement directly, which is important not just for youth but for society.
A range of interactive formats were used at the forum, such as panels, films, and break-out sessions designed for participants from across academia, e-technology companies, journalists and non-governmental organizations to explore creative and innovative solutions how young people can prevent being trafficked, abused online, and how they can contribute to keeping their communities safe. Content creator Natthapong Saraboot, who has become an icon in Thailand through TikTok, told his peers:
“I am just one small voice, but when one of you passes on my message to the people around you, this small voice will be amplified to strengthen awareness in society so that we are all aware of the dangers of human trafficking. Your voice matters because many small voices, when they come together, become loud.”
Victim or perpetrator?
Those who get scammed into losing their life’s savings are clear victims, but behind the operation lies an orchestra of thousands of scammers who are trapped in illegal scam farms dotted across the region where they are taken into under the false pretext of employment.
“I was tricked into thinking I had been selected for a job in IT. Then, when we got out of the van and I saw the men with guns, I realized I was being trafficked. They told me I would have to scam rich people and that, if I did not comply, I would be beaten like my peers, and I saw many being beaten,” said a survivor who attended the meeting.
The victim was rescued by the Thai police, interviewed, and let free. Today, he talks to young people about the dangers of being trafficked. Many like him who suffered a similar fate, though, do not pass the screening process and end up in prison. UNODC works closely with local non-governmental and civil society organizations across the region to ensure the screening process is fair and takes into account factors such as how someone ended up in a scam compound, their ability to leave, personal agency, working and living conditions, or the threat of violence to determine whether the person is a victim or a perpetrator. UNODC has also developed a list of indicators to facilitate victim identification in Southeast Asia and the Pacific.
Similar stories, testimonies, and findings from investigations about how the trafficking works and what the conditions inside the camps are like were shared during the event. Participants learned the reality that victims often face inside the compound and once they escape, such as crossing to another country irregularly, and the risk of being re-trafficked.
“Criminals have learned how to push their way through interviews and go from one compound to the next, crossing the border in and out every day,” said Mechelle Moore, CEO of Global Alms Inc., a civil society organization based in the Thailand-Myanmar border. “But if we conduct a multidisciplinary team interview immediately after the rescue, the perpetrators wills stick out, and the victims will be protected.”
The PROTECT project, titled Ensuring Decent Work and Reducing Vulnerabilities for Women and Children in the Context of Labour Migration in Southeast Asia, was launched in 2023 and is being jointly implemented by UNODC, ILO, UNICEF, and UN Women. One of its specific objectives is to improve national and regional prevention and protection mechanisms to reduce rights’ violations against migrant women, children, and other vulnerable groups, including victims of trafficking and smuggled migrants.
Learn more about PROTECT here.
Learn more about UNODC’s work in Southeast Asia and the Pacific here.
See more photos from the event here.
