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An AIC report links romance and crypto scams targeting Australians to trafficked workers held in compounds across Cambodia, Myanmar and Laos.
AIC Report Connects Romance Scams to Trafficked Workers Overseas
The Australian Institute of Criminology released a report this month documenting how many of the romance and investment scams targeting Australians are operated by people trafficked into cyber-scam compounds across Cambodia, Myanmar and Laos. Reporting from SBS News indicates Cyber Security Minister Tony Burke has urged Australians to treat unsolicited direct messages as the work of organised criminal networks, adding that the person on the other end of a scam may themselves be held against their will.
The report identifies young adults from a range of countries who answered seemingly legitimate job advertisements, then had passports confiscated on arrival and were forced to run scam scripts under threat of violence. According to the AIC, many recruits were drawn to postings on Facebook, LinkedIn, TikTok, Jobstreet and Telegram that closely resembled genuine customer service or marketing roles, with multiple interview stages and detailed job descriptions to appear credible.
What the Reports Describe Inside the Compounds
Workers interviewed for the AIC research described days stretching 14 to 21 hours, overcrowded dormitories and punishment regimes for failing to meet scamming quotas. One contributor identified in the report as Zanele, a South African educator, said she was taken from Thailand across the Myanmar border to a compound where she was handed a script and told she owed US$300,000 to leave. Another woman, referred to as Eva, said she was trafficked from Uganda to Laos under the guise of a beauty product marketing role and ordered to source phone numbers for romance scams.
The report documents the use of guidebooks, character scripts and in some cases generative AI tools to help workers sustain long-running romance conversations. Women are frequently assigned to romance-investment scams, building rapport on dating apps and social platforms before steering targets toward fraudulent cryptocurrency schemes. Stakeholders cited in the report described physical punishment, sexual violence and the threat of being sold to other compounds as mechanisms of control.
Scale of Australian Losses and the Regional Picture
Australian authorities identified tens of thousands of scam victims in 2025, according to figures cited by SBS News. In the first four months of that year, Australians lost $59 million to investment scams alone, many of which begin with a cold approach by phone, SMS or social media message. Anti-slavery organisation International Justice Mission estimates up to $18 billion a year is generated from scam operations in Cambodia alone.
An INTERPOL assessment referenced in the AIC report found roughly 74 per cent of identified trafficking victims in cyber-scam centres between 2020 and 2025 were moved into South East Asia. Burke told SBS News the issue is now a focus of the Bali Process, co-chaired by Australia and Indonesia, and that reducing Australian engagement with scam messages is central to disrupting the business model.
What Australians Should Do When Contacted
The patterns described in the AIC report align with community reports that Reverseau contributors file against unknown numbers and SMS senders each week. People who receive unsolicited messages from strangers, particularly messages that pivot toward investment opportunities, cryptocurrency platforms or requests to move conversations to WhatsApp or Telegram, should treat the contact as high risk.
- Do not reply to unexpected direct messages from people you have not met offline
- Do not click links or open attachments sent by unknown numbers or new online contacts
- Do not send money, cryptocurrency or identity documents to anyone introduced through a dating app or social media
- Do check the sender's number against community reports before responding
- Do keep screenshots and message records in case you later need to file a report
How to Report and Check Numbers
Suspected scam calls and texts can be reported to Scamwatch at scamwatch.gov.au, which feeds intelligence to the ACCC and partner agencies. Suspicious SMS can be forwarded free of charge to 0429 999 888 under ACMA's reporting arrangements for telco action against spoofed senders. Cybercrime incidents involving financial loss or identity compromise should be logged with ReportCyber at cyber.gov.au.
Australians can also check who called by searching the number on Reverseau, where contributors log experiences with unknown callers and flag numbers associated with romance, crypto and impersonation approaches. Cross-referencing a number against recent community reports is a simple step before deciding whether to engage, and adding your own report strengthens the signal for the next Australian who receives the same call.