Recently graduated, Ariyan began searching for job opportunities overseas, driven by a desire to escape the political unrest in Bangladesh and provide for his family. Along with four close friends, he set his sights on Thailand. Through a mutual connection, they were offered jobs at a Chinese real estate company based in Thailand, with a promised monthly salary of $1,200. 

“The broker told us we need to take an interview first…by Zoom meeting. We open our camera…but he doesn’t open his. He told us: ‘What is the meaning of PC?’ We say, personal computer. ‘Do you know how to use a computer?’ Yes, we know PowerPoint, Excel…within one hour, he contacted the broker and said we have passed the interview.” 

Shortly after the interview, Ariyan and his friends flew with SriLankan Airlines to Suvarnabhumi Airport in Thailand. The broker arranged for a driver, who informed them that the company was located in Mae Sot, approximately a six-hour drive from the airport. This directly contradicted what the broker had originally told them, which was that the company was located near Bangkok. Along the way, the driver instructed them to hand over their passports and to tell immigration officers at various checkpoints that they were tourists. 

“[The car] stopped near Moei River…the division between Thailand and Myanmar. When we go there, 10 or 12 people come from inside the forest, they touch our hand and say, ‘Follow me.’ Everyone has a gun. We look and there are two small boats waiting for us in this river. This time, I said to the broker, ‘Why will they transfer us to Myanmar?’”

At that point, the broker disconnected the call and blocked Ariyan and his friends on WhatsApp. They were taken to a jail-like compound, where their phones and identity documents were confiscated. 

“We were feeling very scared. What’s happening? What’s wrong here? Then one Pakistani came and he said, ‘Brother, you are new?’ We say, yes, we are new. Then he told us, ‘Listen, this is a jail. There are many, many people stuck in the compound. Nobody goes outside. And this is a Chinese scamming company. If the Chinese say anything, you just tell them yes, don’t say no. If you say no, they will punish you with electric shocks and torture. Even if you do not hear about their rules and regulations, they don’t care about your life. So as a brother, I just told you, don’t say no.’” 

Ariyan and his friends were forced to sign a contract stating they would work with the company for one year and six months. The contract included a list of rules, along with a condition: over the course of their employment, they would each have to generate $200,000 USD in earnings for the company. When they began to protest and begged to go back to Bangkok, they were tortured with electric shocks. 

“One of the Chinese takes the electric shotgun. He comes and gives it to our backside hard. At this moment we are very scared. What was happening? Why is he giving us electric shocks? It’s like our body is vibrating.”

Ariyan was instructed to make online friendships with people from Turkey, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, and the Netherlands. He was told to find them on Instagram and TikTok, send them friend requests, and talk to them like a very close friend until they agreed to move the conversation to WhatsApp. His daily target was to collect 100 WhatsApp numbers, and he was forced to work between 13 and 15 hours.

One day, he was instructed to take another victim to the doctor. The man had been nearly tortured to death and later died. While at the hospital, Ariyan saw a chance to escape. He jumped into the river and let the current carry him. A guard in a border watchtower spotted him and opened fire, shooting at him four times. 

“I say my God, my God if you…If you help me, I promise you, if you help me to go back to my country or a safe place, I will help every victim out of this company. Just help me to go to a safe place. 

Ariyan managed to reach the Thailand side of the border and found help through the local community and the National Referral Mechanism of the International Organization for Migration (IOM). He eventually returned to Bangladesh, where he was reunited with his family. 

“Anytime I am crying…I say thanks to my God actually. He gave me another life. So this life, this is my last and everything is my last. I don’t know where I will go, where is my next destination and what I will do, but everything will be fine. I will try to do good for my family and no need to take the $1,200 salary.” 

Ariyan left home in search of a better life, not knowing the path ahead would lead to fear, hardship, and violence. He was deceived, trafficked, and forced into a life he never chose. Since escaping, he has transformed his trauma into a mission, risking everything to protect others from similar exploitation. He has bravely chosen to speak out. Modern slavery thrives in silence, and breaking that silence can save lives. Stand with Ariyan. Speak out. Every voice raised helps prevent others from becoming victims of human trafficking for forced criminality.

Salam, a highly educated textile engineer from Bangladesh, carried the hopes of his entire family. As the only one capable of earning a decent living, he felt a deep responsibility to provide for them. Earning just $200 a month, he was driven to seek better opportunities abroad to improve their quality of life. 

“One of my school friends who worked for his uncle’s recruiting agency offered me an IT job in Cambodia. He said it’s a computer operator job in a casino. Just to operate a computer. And if you go to work there, you will get $1,000 per month.” 

The offer sounded perfect. Salam had the right skills, spoke English fluently, and the promised salary was five times his current income. After speaking with both his friend and the recruiter, he agreed to pay a $3,000 recruitment fee. They assured him they would handle everything, from his visa to the flight arrangements.

However, Salam became uneasy when he received a tourist visa instead of a work permit. Still hopeful, he boarded the flight after they reassured him that the proper documents would be issued upon arrival in Cambodia. 

“When I enter[ed] inside the office, I figure[d] out—okay, this cannot be a casino, because I have seen casinos, how they look in movies and dramas—but this was completely different.”

Upon arrival at the worksite, Salam’s passport was confiscated, and he found himself working in a job completely different from what he had originally been promised. 

“I contacted my broker, and he said he sold me for $3,500, and if I wanted to go back home, I had to repay that money. Then I realized—okay, I’m trapped, and I’m trafficked, and they sold me into this scamming industry.” 

Salam was forced to create fake social media profiles on platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, as well as on dating apps, like Tinder, Tantan, Jaumo, and OkCupid. 

“They asked us to target people from Western countries, especially from America, Canada, and Europe. 

He was instructed to research victims, initiate conversations, and then pass them on to a team leader once they moved to WhatsApp or Telegram. The ultimate goal was to convince the targets to invest in fraudulent cryptocurrency schemes.

“If someone was looking for a friend relationship, then I grew the friendship. If someone was looking for romance, I acted like a romantic partner.” 

His daily quota was to lure 3–5 new targets, while his monthly goal was to convince people to invest between $20,000 and $30,000. The operation even employed models to speak to victims over video call, making the deception more convincing. Salam was forced to work 12 to 14 hours each day. 

“If anyone couldn’t reach their target, they punished them very badly…like forcing them to stay on their elbows or torturing them physically. Sometimes they beat people with a baseball bat. The only way to save ourselves was to obey our bosses, obey their orders, and follow their instructions.” 

After enduring physical abuse, sleep deprivation, and psychological torment, Salam was eventually able to escape with support from the Global Anti-Scam Organization (GA-SO) and Humanity Research Consultancy (HRC). But the challenges didn’t end there. When trying to return home, Cambodian immigration officials demanded an overstay fine of $1,050. 

“I told [the Cambodian immigration office] that I was detained in a scamming compound, and that’s why I wasn’t able to extend my visa. I had no intention to overstay in [their] country. I was detained. I was not free, and they never actually focused on that for a single day. And they didn’t actually recognize me as a trafficking victim.”

With the help of anti-scam and anti-trafficking organizations, who covered his overstay fine and flight home, Salam eventually returned to Bangladesh. Since then, he has dedicated himself to helping others still trapped in scam compounds. Drawing from his own experience, he has supported more than 50 survivors through rescue, repatriation, and reintegration. 

It was completely surprising for me when the story unfolded, and I discovered myself as a trafficking victim.” 

What happened to Salam is not uncommon. Falling for forced criminality recruitment scams is never the fault of the victim. These are sophisticated transnational criminal networks that prey on hope and vulnerability. The most powerful tool against them? Education.  

Photo credit: Luke Duggleby | Instagram: @lukedugglebyphoto | https://www.lukeduggleby.com/

Michael Mugisha*, a recent graduate from Uganda, was ambitious and eager to create a better future for himself and his family. With limited job prospects at home, he began looking for work abroad. Asia seemed like a promising destination, offering jobs that did not require extensive paperwork for entry. When a friend introduced him to a Chinese woman with a job connection, Michael was hopeful. 

They met in person, and she described what sounded like the perfect opportunity: a six-month data management role in Laos with all travel and visa expenses covered. It was too good an offer to pass up. 

“At first everything seemed normal, though when we reached the Golden Triangle things started changing…Everything became suspicious when they started telling me to pay money if I wanted to leave.” 

After two months of preparation, Michael boarded a flight to Laos. Upon arrival, the situation quickly deteriorated. The job he had been promised no longer existed. Instead, he was told to sign a contract that bore no resemblance to the original agreement. Rather than data management, he was told he would be conducting online scams. When he asked to leave, he was informed that he would have to pay an exorbitant fee. 

His refusal led to a forced transfer to another compound across the border. 

“So, on reaching Myanmar, that’s when you realise that this is what real trafficking is. That’s when you realise what trafficking means when you reach Myanmar.” 

Inside the new compound, Michael was held against his will and forced to work more than 16 hours a day under constant surveillance. The scam operation was structured like a corporate hierarchy, with supervisors managing a workforce of exploited individuals. Michael’s role was to build fake online relationships through social media and lure victims into cryptocurrency investment scams. 

Those who failed to meet certain targets faced brutal consequences. 

“The [data miners] do all the work, but not willingly. They do it by force, do it under tension, under pressure. They are tortured to do everything. Everything. They have to do it. They do whatever they are told to do. You cannot say something. You just have to do whatever you are told to do. You don’t have a say on anything.” 

Michael endured torture, electric shocks, food deprivation, and the constant threat of being sold to other scam compounds. He was never paid. He worked every day for nearly a year, without a single day off. 

With relentless determination and the support of counter-trafficking organisations, Michael eventually found a way out. His escape was long and difficult, involving travel through unfamiliar countries, extended periods of isolation, and surviving with minimal resources. It took over a year for him to finally return home to Uganda. 

“Most people, when I tell them about it, they’ll be like, yeah, is this real? Is this real? But yeah, it was real. It happened. It happened. It happened, it really happened. I was there, I faced it.” 

Michael’s story is a powerful reminder of the dangers behind seemingly legitimate overseas job offers. Despite everything he endured, he has chosen to speak out to raise awareness and protect others from falling into the same trap. His voice is one of many. These stories must be heard, believed, and acted upon. 

If you or someone you know is considering a job abroad, take time to research the opportunity carefully and seek advice from trusted sources. For those in a position to support anti-trafficking efforts, whether through education, advocacy, or community engagement, your involvement can make a meaningful difference. Together, we can help prevent exploitation before it begins.

*Name changed to protect identity

Kiran has spent his life working as a security guard and securing odd jobs across the country to keep his family afloat. Almost a decade ago, while on the hunt for a job, Kiran stumbled across a private office in his hometown in India, which specialised in sending low-skilled labourers for blue-collar jobs in the UAE. He was warned that the jobs require a great amount of toiling, but it is lucrative and there is potential for saving up a big chunk of his salary to send back home. Hopeful at this prospect of finally being able to send his children to school without constantly worrying about their school fees, Kiran pooled all his savings and even borrowed some money from his friends, collecting almost 200,000 rupees in total and paid it to the labour-corridor office. The man in charge seemed experienced –he secured a passport for Kiran and even did all the paperwork for Kiran’s visa. Kiran was especially grateful for this help. With limited English skills, he already felt overwhelmed with the idea of going to a foreign country for work. 

Kiran landed in Dubai and received instructions that once he clears immigration, he will be received by the counterpart of the labour office employee who will  take him to his new workplace. However, a different reality awaited Kiran. At immigration, he was told that his visa was a mere 7-day tourist visa and that he must leave the country within a week to avoid being detained or arrested. Kiran left the airport confused, hoping for answers from his point of contact. However, he found no one waiting for him at the arrival gate, and the given phone number turned out to be invalid. Abandoned and with no way back home, Kiran had to scramble to gather funds to buy a return flight ticket. His father borrowed more money and managed to send a ticket just in time for Kiran to come back home safely. Kiran returned to India a week later, without a single penny in his pocket, and a loan that he needed to pay off. He went to the office in his hometown, only to find it empty, with no sign that the office existed. Kiran realised that he had been scammed and he had lost his money, along with the hopes of providing his family with a brighter future. 

Kiran told me that while in Dubai, he saw the Burj Khalifa, but he wasn’t able to enjoy its grandeur. One day, he would like to go back with his family for a vacation, just to change the narrative of how he spent his time in the UAE. My heart ached for him. The labouring classes of India are often engaged in gruelling work for a salary that barely allows them to survive. To lose your financial cushion hits harder for people like Kiran, who mostly live hand to mouth, and can barely afford a decent quality of life. 

However, when I told Kiran of my research that I did for ScamWatchers and the kind of stories I read, he expressed a small sigh of relief. At least he came back home to his family, relatively safe and sound, within a week. 

Unfortunately, this is not the same experience many victims of employment-based scams face. For many, such scams result in human trafficking into scam centres, which include a plethora of labour rights and human rights violations. Physical and mental violence, entrapment, bonded labour, and blackmail are just a few of the horrifying instances that victims of scam centres suffer through. 

This is nothing short of a call to action. Kiran’s story inspired me to write for ScamWatchers . Spreading awareness about such swindles can help people be on guard against them. Keep your eyes peeled, and if you are in close proximity with someone who is at risk of falling for such suspicious activities, play your part in warning them and making them aware of the dangers of employment scams. Stay vigilant, and help us create a world where one can work for their bread and butter without risking their life to the perils of labour scams and their resultant human rights abuses.

*Name changed to protect identity

Unwilling Participants

Human trafficking, a pervasive global issue, often preys on the most vulnerable members of society. Victims are coerced or deceived into situations where their freedom is stripped away, and their autonomy is crushed. Many of these unfortunate individuals are subsequently funnelled into scam centres, where they are forced to participate in illegal activities, often against their will.

How the recruitment process typically works is a trafficker will use various methods to recruit their victims, such as false promises that seem to look like legitimate employment overseas. These victims, often recruited for their knowledge of English, believe they are embarking on a journey to a better life. However, upon reaching their destination, they discover the grim reality of their situation.

Inside the Scam Centers

Scam centres, operating in the shadows, are hubs of criminal activity. Victims trafficked into these centres find themselves trapped in an environment of deception and exploitation. They are forced to engage in a range of fraudulent activities, from phone-based scams to online fraud, romance scams, and more. The victims have no choice but to obey their traffickers, facing dire consequences if they resist.

If a victim attempts to escape or refuses to obey their traffickers’ orders, they are subjected to horrifying consequences. These repercussions may include various forms of physical and psychological torture, creating an atmosphere of fear and coercion that keeps victims obedient. Additionally, some victims may face the terrifying prospect of being resold to other scamming compounds, perpetuating their cycle of exploitation and abuse. In the most harrowing cases, non-compliance with the traffickers’ demands can even result in the loss of life, underscoring the extreme danger and vulnerability that victims are trapped in this horrendous circumstance.

Global Reach

Human trafficking into scam centres knows no boundaries. Criminal networks involved in these activities operate on an international scale, making it challenging for law enforcement agencies to track and dismantle these operations effectively. Victims are trafficked across borders, further complicating the efforts to rescue and support them.

This transnational nature of the issue requires enhanced international cooperation and information-sharing among law enforcement agencies and organisations dedicated to combating human trafficking. Efforts to address this problem must extend beyond borders and involve a concerted global effort to dismantle the networks responsible for these heinous crimes and ensure the safety and recovery of the victims caught in this grasp.

The Legal Battle

Efforts to combat human trafficking into scam centres are fraught with legal complexities, particularly concerning the victims forced to engage in scams. When rescued or escaping these harrowing environments, many of these individuals face the grim prospect of being prosecuted in their home countries for their involuntary involvement in fraudulent activities. This legal conundrum places an additional burden on survivors, who must grapple not only with the trauma of their ordeal but also with the potential for further victimization within the legal system. Balancing the imperative of holding perpetrators accountable with the need to protect and rehabilitate survivors remains a significant challenge in the fight against this insidious intersection of human trafficking and scam centres.

Supporting Survivors

Support services for survivors of human trafficking into scam centres are essential. Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and advocacy groups play a vital role in providing assistance, shelter, counselling, and legal support to survivors. These organizations also work to raise awareness about the issue and advocate for stronger legislation to combat these interconnected crimes.

The intersection of human trafficking and scam centres is a chilling reminder of the depths of human exploitation. It is imperative that we shine a light on this dark corner of the internet, raise awareness about the tactics used by traffickers, and support the efforts of law enforcement agencies and NGOs working tirelessly to combat these crimes.

As individuals, we can contribute by staying informed, recognizing the signs of human trafficking, and reporting suspicious activities. By supporting organizations that provide assistance to survivors and advocating for stronger legislation and enforcement, we can collectively work towards eradicating this heinous intersection of human suffering.

Our collective efforts can help break the chains that bind victims to scam centres and bring those responsible for these crimes to justice. It’s a challenging battle, but one that we must fight to protect the most vulnerable among us.

The Digital Trap

Human traffickers are increasingly using the internet to recruit, manipulate, and control their victims. Vulnerable individuals, often seeking employment opportunities or a better life, become easy prey for traffickers operating on various online platforms. Traffickers dangle promises of jobs, education, or even romance, exploiting the dreams and aspirations of those desperately seeking a way out of their dire circumstances.

Traffickers often employ persuasive tactics, such as false promises, forged documents, or fake job listings, to lure victims into their clutches. They prey on the hopes of their targets, convincing them to travel to a foreign country or region under the guise of a better life. Once there, victims find themselves trapped in a nightmare far from what they were promised.

The Scam Center Connection

Once traffickers have their victims under their control, they often funnel them into scam centres. These fraudulent call centres, operating under the radar of law enforcement, engage in various illegal activities, including extortion, identity theft, and tech support scams. Victims are coerced into participating in these schemes, forced to work long hours in deplorable conditions, all while living in constant fear.

The convergence between human trafficking and scam centres occurs when traffickers use the forced labour of their victims to carry out scams, thereby maximizing their profits. Victims are subjected to physical and psychological abuse, making it nearly impossible for them to escape or seek help. Scam centres exploit the vulnerability of these individuals, manipulating them into becoming unwitting criminals.

The Toll on Victims

The victims of this insidious connection between human trafficking and scam centres endure unimaginable suffering. They not only face the trauma of being trafficked but also the constant threat of arrest and imprisonment for participating in illegal activities. Victims are often stripped of their identification documents, making escape or seeking assistance even more challenging.

Many survivors recount tales of living in cramped and unsanitary conditions, with little to no access to basic necessities. They are deprived of their freedom and subjected to physical violence and emotional manipulation. The psychological scars of their ordeal can linger long after they are freed from their captors.

The Global Reach

This issue has no borders. Human trafficking and scam centres operate on a global scale, with criminals exploiting the interconnectedness of the internet and the ease of cross-border communication. Victims are trafficked from one country to another, making it difficult for law enforcement agencies to track and combat these criminal networks effectively.

The Legal Challenge

The battle against this nefarious web of human trafficking and scam centres is fraught with legal complexities. Coordinating efforts across jurisdictions is a monumental challenge, as is gathering sufficient evidence to dismantle these criminal networks. While some progress has been made in recent years, there is still much work to be done to bring these criminals to justice and provide support for survivors.

The connection between human trafficking and scam centres is a chilling reminder of the depths of human depravity. It is imperative that we shine a light on this dark web of exploitation, raise awareness about the tactics used by traffickers and scammers, and support the efforts of law enforcement agencies and NGOs working tirelessly to combat these crimes.

As individuals, we can contribute by staying informed, recognizing the signs of human trafficking and scams, and reporting suspicious activities. It is our moral obligation to ensure that the internet, a tool that connects us all, does not become a weapon in the hands of those who seek to exploit the vulnerable. Only through awareness, vigilance, and concerted efforts can we hope to dismantle this dark web of human trafficking and scam centres, offering a glimmer of hope to those ensnared in its clutches.

Part I: The Ties That Bind

To comprehend the link between terrorism and human trafficking within the scam centres, we must first understand the broader context of terrorism. Terrorism, at its core, involves the use of violence or coercion to achieve a political, ideological, or financial objective. While traditional forms of terrorism often involve large-scale attacks, the modern landscape has evolved to include activities that exploit the vulnerabilities of our global society. Human trafficking is one such vulnerability. Defined as the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harbouring, or receipt of persons through force, coercion, or deception for the purpose of exploitation, it is a grave violation of human rights. Human trafficking can take place in various forms, including forced labour, sexual exploitation, and, as we will delve into further, involvement in scam centres.

Part II: Unmasking the Scam Centres

Workers travel to foreign destinations in response to job ads. They arrive only to find themselves caught in a trap. The vulnerable inbound workers have their passports taken from them and are forced into scam operations. These are scam centres run by human trafficking criminal networks. This is a new form of forced labour slavery called ‘forced scamming’.

Scam centres run operations designed to defraud individuals through deception, often involving impersonation, manipulation, and false information. These centres have proliferated, thanks to the anonymity provided by the internet and the development of telecommunication technology. While scam methods may differ from traditional acts of terrorism, their effects are no less devastating.

It’s important to highlight that there are two types of victims involved in this complex crime. First, there are foreigners from developed countries who are replying to fake recruitment ads published by the scammers. They are forced to work in the scam centres, defrauding people – the second type of victim – via deceptive schemes, such as romance scams, investment scams, etc.  

Economic Terrorism: One facet of this crime encompasses the victims, often located in developed countries, who fall prey to deceptive schemes orchestrated by the victims of human trafficking. These individuals are defrauded, resulting in financial devastation that extends far beyond monetary loss. The consequences of such fraud can destabilise lives, leaving individuals in turmoil.

Psychological Warfare: A second dimension involves the victims of human trafficking who are recruited through legitimate job recruitment platforms and then coerced into participating in the scam centre operations. These victims endure not only physical abuse, but also severe psychological and emotional trauma. The toll on these victims is profound, leaving them in a perpetual state of anxiety, depression, profound distrust of others, and lacking legal protection for the acts of crime they were forced to perform, resulting in unjust prosecution in their home countries and abroad.

People for Profit: Within the sinister context of scam centres, an even darker facet emerges – the pervasive and malevolent crime known as ‘harmcore’. This disturbing practice exploits the victims of human trafficking, who have been enslaved into these fraudulent operations, becoming ensnared in an unrelenting cycle of exploitation that transcends the realm of financial scams. ‘Harmcore’ constitutes a disturbing form of terrorism in its own right, wherein these victims, forced to defraud other victims, are subjected to unimaginable acts of abuse and torture in front of the cameras. Videos capturing their anguish are ruthlessly sold to internet users for profit, perpetuating the cycle. Those subjected to ‘harmcore’ are often those who have underperformed in their scam activities, or have refused to participate, or have sought to escape from the clutches of the scam centres. This abhorrent crime, thriving within the heart of scam operations, represents a grave violation of human rights and demands our utmost attention and action.

Part III: The Connection Revealed

Evidence that human trafficking within the scam centres is a form of terrorism can be seen when we examine the methods criminal networks use to “recruit” staff to perform the criminal activities.

1.      Human Capital: Scam centres often recruit and employ recent graduate students or working professionals through legitimate job recruitment platforms or social media networks for overseas work. These individuals are coerced, manipulated, or forced into participating in these criminal enterprises till they’ve paid a ransom fee for their release, often exceeding US $10,000.

2.      Global Networks: Scam centres operate inside extensive global networks. The recruitment, transportation, and movement of individuals across borders are integral to their operations. Myanmar, where the rule of law has diminished due to the coup, is just one of many havens for these centres to openly exist. The transnational nature of this criminal activity mirrors the global reach of traditional terrorist organisations.3.      Enabling Infrastructure: Just as terrorists require an infrastructure to plan and execute their attacks, scam centres rely on technological infrastructure, such as fraudulent investment platforms, telecommunication, and artificial intelligence, to avoid detection and to carry out their activities. These tools enable networks to reach out to victims worldwide, to recruit victims of human trafficking, and to defraud victims in order to amplify their impact.

Part IV: The Consequences and What is Needed

The consequences of overlooking the connection between human trafficking within scam centres and terrorism are dire. By failing to recognise these activities as acts of terrorism, we inadvertently downplay their significance and hinder the efforts to combat them effectively.

1.      Economic Destabilisation: The scale of money laundering stemming from these scams is reaching unprecedented levels, surpassing the funding available for addressing both terrorism and human trafficking combined on a global scale. Particularly alarming is the ease with which criminals operating in developing countries, where corruption may be rampant, can use the illicit gains from trafficking victims forced to scam, and from defrauding victims in developed countries, and use the profits generated to buy the silence and complicity of law enforcement officials, governments, regulators, and agencies, thus enabling the criminal ecosystem to continue its existence. This vicious cycle not only perpetuates the criminal networks but also poses a significant risk of destabilising entire economies. The influx of illicit funds can undermine the integrity of financial institutions, erode trust in government authorities, and exacerbate economic inequality, ultimately threatening the economic stability of a nation. The urgent need to combat the financial aspect cannot be overstated, as its unchecked growth could have dire consequences for the global financial system and the well-being of countless individuals.

2.      Legal Framework: Designating human trafficking within scam centres as terrorism would provide legal authorities with a more robust framework to pursue and prosecute these criminals. This could lead to more international cooperation in apprehending offenders.

3.      Resource Allocation: Recognising this connection would enable governments and organisations to allocate resources more effectively for the prevention of money laundering, targeting not only the symptoms but also the root causes of these crimes.

4.      Public Awareness: Increased awareness of the terrorist nature of these activities may empower individuals and communities to protect themselves, friends, and loved ones, thereby reducing the prevalence of victims of human trafficking within scam centres or of victims of fraud.

The connection between human trafficking within scam centres and terrorism is not a mere coincidence but a deeply intertwined relationship. Both are fuelled by greed, exploitation, and a disregard for human rights. By acknowledging the terrorist quality inherent in these activities, we can mobilise the international community to combat them with the urgency and seriousness they deserve.

Addressing human trafficking within scam centres as acts of terrorism requires a multifaceted approach, including legal reforms, international cooperation, and public awareness campaigns. Only by confronting this issue head-on can we hope to protect the vulnerable, bring the criminal actors to justice, and disrupt the networks that perpetuate these heinous crimes.