Like thousands of others, he had been trafficked under the promise of opportunity, only to find himself trapped in a system that forced him to scam strangers across the globe.
Anvir’s experience reflects a growing crisis: the use of technology to fuel Trafficking in Persons for Forced Criminality (TIP for FC) inside scam centres. But it also shows how the same digital tools used to deceive and exploit can be turned into lifelines for prevention, rescue, and accountability.
Digital technology sits at the heart of modern trafficking. Criminal syndicates exploit digital platforms for recruitment, control, and fraud.
“Fake job ads today are designed to look professional and convincing,” says Sylwia Gawronska, Regional Programme Advisor, Human Trafficking and Migrant Smuggling, United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) Regional Office for Southeast Asia and the Pacific (ROSEAP).
“They circulate across legitimate job platforms, encrypted messaging apps, and social media groups where young people and migrants search for work. Many victims only realize it’s a trap once their documents are seized.”
Inside the compounds, technology is also weaponized to control victims. Pre-written scripts, caller ID spoofing, and phishing software make scams more believable, while digital surveillance keeps workers under constant watch. Increasingly, traffickers use AI-generated profiles and even deepfake videos to lure targets worldwide.
Yet technology is not only the traffickers’ tool. It is also how victims signal for help, and how communities and civil society organizations fight back.
Online vigilance is proving essential.
“Community awareness is the first line of defence,” notes Crislyn Joy Felisilda, Senior Lead, Marketing Communications, Asia Pacific, International Justice Mission (IJM). “When people learn to recognize red flags, such as promises of high salaries with no experience required, or requests for passports before travel, they can stop recruitment before it happens.”
❌ Promises of high salaries with no experience
❌ Requests for passports before travel
❌ Urgent timelines or secrecy
Local groups, migrant associations, and youth networks are increasingly flagging and reporting suspicious ads, closing the recruitment pipeline before more victims are trapped.
Civil society organizations and international partners are also using technology to monitor scams.
“By applying digital mapping, AI, and machine learning, we can detect recurring patterns in phone numbers, domain names, and job ad language,” explains Ekraj Sabur, National Programme Officer, Human Trafficking and Migrant Smuggling, UNODC ROSEAP. “This allows us to anticipate shifts in recruitment tactics and share intelligence with law enforcement.”
These real-time insights are helping cross-border investigations and giving governments a clearer picture of how scam operations move and evolve.
Safe online spaces are becoming lifelines.
“A number of rescues have only been possible because victims managed to send out an SOS on social media or encrypted platforms,” says the Ricky Raymon, Regional Programme Officer, Human Trafficking and Migrant Smuggling, UNODC ROSEAP. “Trusted digital tools where people can verify job offers or ask for help on different community platforms are saving lives.”
Migrant support groups, NGOs, and grassroots initiatives are working to strengthen these online safe zones, giving vulnerable jobseekers a reliable space to seek information and protection.
While communities play their part, tech companies and job platforms cannot ignore their role.
“Criminals are misusing legitimate platforms to recruit and exploit. These companies must strengthen employer verification and act faster to take down fraudulent ads,” stresses the Andrey Sawchenko, Regional Vice President, Program Impact, Asia Pacific, IJM.
Pressure is mounting, and some platforms have introduced stronger safeguards. Still, gaps remain, and traffickers continue to exploit them to reach unsuspecting jobseekers.
Technology helped deceive and control Anvir, but it also played a role in his eventual rescue. Cross-border coordination among NGOs, cybercrime units and embassies, often facilitated online, was crucial in securing freedom for him and others.
Still, his story carries a warning: easy money can cost you everything. What looks like a quick path to success may instead be a trap that robs people of their freedom, dignity, and rights.
“The internet has become the battleground for this form of trafficking. Criminals exploit it to recruit and control, while survivors, communities, and justice actors fight back with awareness, advocacy, and innovation,” says Delphine Schantz, Regional Representative, UNODC ROSEAP.
“Technology is what enables these crimes to occur on a scale we have not seen before. But with knowledge and action, it can also be the tool that helps us stop them” concluded Rebecca Miller, Regional Programme Coordinator, Human Trafficking and Migrant Smuggling, UNODC ROSEAP.
