Indians who have been rescued (Image Source: X)
At least 60 Indians out of 360, who were fraudulently taken to Cambodia and forced into cyber fraud by trafficking rackets, have been rescued by the Indian embassy and have finally returned home on May 23. The Indian embassy announced this on X (formerly known as Twitter), stating, “Always committed to helping Indians abroad. First batch of 60 Indian nationals rescued by the Indian Embassy in Cambodia from fraudulent employers returned home. Thank the Cambodian authorities for their support.”
In the past four to five months, a total of 360 Indian citizens, who were scammed into working as “cyber slaves” in Cambodia, have been successfully repatriated to India, according to Rajesh Kumar, CEO of the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C).
Additionally, another 60 Indians currently stranded in Cambodia are expected to return in the coming weeks.
Amid a surge in cybercrime incidents targeting India from Southeast Asia, particularly from Cambodia, Myanmar, and Laos, the Indian government constituted a high-level inter-ministerial committee on May 16.
This committee, chaired by the Special Secretary (Internal Security) from the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), includes officials from the ministries of External Affairs, Finance, Electronics and Information Technology, the Department of Telecommunications, CBI, NIA, CBIC, and the Department of Posts. The committee has met twice so far to formulate a focused and concerted action plan to combat this menace emanating from Southeast Asia.
Victims were lured to Cambodia with attractive job offers, but upon arrival, their passports were confiscated, and they were forced to scam people in India using online platforms such as Telegram, WhatsApp, Facebook, Google Ads, and other fake apps. The Indian embassy has coordinated with Sihanoukville authorities to assist the 60 Indians with travel documents and other arrangements for their early return.
Recognising the gravity of the situation, the Indian embassy established a temporary control room in Sihanoukville to aid the many Indian nationals, including several from Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, who were held captive and forced into cybercrime syndicates.
Rescued 360 ‘Cyber Slaves’
A team of embassy officials was dispatched to assist with their repatriation. The embassy has engaged with Cambodian authorities at the highest levels to expedite the return of Indian nationals wishing to go home.
So far, nearly 360 Indian nationals trapped in scam centres in Cambodia have been rescued and repatriated, including about 60 individuals rescued on May 20.
In light of these job scams, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) recently issued an advisory for Indian nationals travelling to Laos and Cambodia for employment, urging them to be cautious of such fraudulent schemes.
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has issued a warning about fake agents luring Indian nationals with promises of employment. “All Indian nationals travelling for jobs in Cambodia and the Southeast Asian region are advised that numerous fraudulent agents operate in the area. These agents, in collaboration with counterparts in India, lure people into scam companies primarily involved in cyber crimes. Anyone seeking employment in Cambodia should only do so through authorised agents approved by the Ministry of External Affairs of India,” the ministry stated.
The term ‘cyber slaves’ refers to foreign nationals who are deceived into relocating to another country with the promise of better job opportunities but are instead forced to work as online scammers in secured compounds.
Cambodia has become a significant hub for this kind of exploitation. Many Indians reach Cambodia through Thailand, noted Rajesh Kumar. While some are victims of human trafficking, others knowingly enter these situations, he added.
For those wishing to return, the leaders of these organised crime networks often demand that victims “buy back their independence,” Kumar explained. “Victims have reached out to the Indian embassy in Cambodia, which has successfully facilitated the return of 360 people,” he said.
On May 20, a group of 150 such victims, predominantly from Andhra Pradesh, protested at a suspected scam compound known as Jinbei 4 in Sihanouk City, Cambodia. Of these, 60 will be repatriated to India in the coming weeks, Kumar stated. The remaining 90 did not wish to return; instead, they were protesting to retrieve their passports, he added.
“The Indian government is in continuous communication with Cambodian authorities. The 60 individuals mentioned will be returning to India soon,” Kumar assured.
On May 21, the Indian embassy in Phnom Penh released an advisory warning Indian nationals about fake job advertisements in the country, through which victims are “coerced to undertake online financial scams and other illegal activities.”
Kumar also mentioned that Section 111 of the new Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, which will replace the Indian Penal Code, includes provisions for addressing continuing cyber crimes as part of organised crime, which will aid in prosecuting those involved in large-scale scams.
Southeast Asia: Hub of Cyber Crime
According to Rajesh Kumar, 39.1 per cent of all cybercrimes reported on the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal originate in Southeast Asia. Between January and April 2024, a total of 740,957 complaints were registered on the portal, averaging about 7,000 daily. Of these, 85 per cent pertained to online financial frauds, with approximately 46 per cent (about 39.1 per cent of the total) originating from Southeast Asia.
The I4C has identified four main categories of scams originating from Southeast Asia, particularly Cambodia, that are their primary focus:
Investment Scams: 62,687 complaints involving Rs 222.58 crore.
Trading Scams: 20,043 complaints involving Rs 1,420.48 crore.
Digital Arrest Scams: 4,599 complaints involving Rs 120.3 crore.
Romance and Dating Scams: 1,725 complaints involving Rs 13.23 crore.
In 2024, common crimes from these scam centres have included fake trading apps, investment apps, websites, loan apps, dating apps, and gaming apps, often involving algorithmic manipulation.
Tackling ‘Digital Arrest’ Scams
To combat ‘digital arrest’ scams, where scammers impersonate law enforcement and claim that a victim’s parcel contains illegal goods or drugs, or that someone close to the victim is involved in a crime, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) issued an alert on May 14.
In response, I4C, in collaboration with Microsoft, has blocked more than 1,000 Skype IDs used in these scams. Victims are often told they are under ‘digital arrest’ and must remain visually available via Skype or another video conferencing platform until the scammers’ demands are met.
These scams rely heavily on social engineering, exploiting both breached personal data and publicly available information on social media platforms. Kumar advised, “Be cautious about posting on social media. Control who can view your location, posts, and connections. Avoid displaying phone numbers and relationships.”
To make the scams more convincing, criminals use official agency logos in their display pictures and dress as law enforcement officials. I4C is working with Microsoft to develop a system using machine learning and artificial intelligence to track Skype IDs that misuse official logos.
Kumar noted that, so far, the perpetrators have not used AI-generated voices or faces; actual human beings are involved. “AI should be used by us. We are providing Skype data to train their model to identify misuse of Indian government logos for committing crimes,” Kumar said.
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