According to recent findings by India Today, Indian nationals seeking job opportunities in Cambodia are being targeted by human traffickers who deceive them with false promises and coerce them into engaging in illegal online activities, such as financial scams. The Indian embassy in Cambodia has issued a cautionary advisory to Indian job seekers, warning them against seeking employment on tourist visas, highlighting the illegality of such actions within the country. The lure of lucrative job prospects in Cambodia has resulted in Indian citizens falling victim to trafficking schemes that exploit them for criminal purposes.
The investigation has uncovered that cybercriminals based in Southeast Asian nations, particularly Cambodia, Myanmar, and Vietnam, are utilizing various strategies to carry out their illicit operations. The Internet Protocol Detail Records (IPDRs) of these fraudsters indicate their locations in these countries, with funds obtained from fraudulent activities being withdrawn from ATMs in places like Dubai and Vietnam. Furthermore, scammers are procuring Indian SIM cards to facilitate their operations, with thousands of such cards being shipped to Cambodia and Myanmar, only to be deactivated by Indian authorities subsequently.
In efforts to curb digital fraud and cyber crimes, the Indian government has intensified its crackdown on such activities, seizing thousands of machine-to-machine (M2M) SIM cards and actively monitoring fraudulent activities involving significant sums of money. Reports from the Home Ministry's cyber wing reveal that fraudsters are siphoning off enormous amounts of cash daily through digital fraud, amassing billions in illicit gains over a short period. This criminal network appears to operate from call centers located within Chinese casinos in Cambodia, underscoring the transnational and organized nature of these cyber crimes. As cases of digital arrest fraud continue to rise, standing at over 92,000 as of October, the authorities are striving to dismantle these criminal operations and protect Indian citizens from falling prey to such scams.