^{The British Embassy’s Deputy Head of Mission, Dave Thomas, provided opening remarks for the workshop}

Participants included representatives from cybercrime units, counter-trafficking departments, and prosecution offices, reflecting the complexity of the challenge and the range of criminal justice actors engaged in scam-centre investigations. While the workshop addressed transnational organised crime and scam centre operations more broadly, the central focus was around addressing trafficking in persons. The workshop aimed to ensure that efforts to combat cyber-enabled crime prioritise victim identification, privacy and protection, while also dismantling the networks profiting from forced criminality.

The British Embassy’s Deputy Head of Mission, Dave Thomas, highlighted “cyber scam investigations span international borders, and human trafficking is increasingly facilitated by digital platforms. So strengthening law enforcement responses and international cooperation is vital alongside victim support, protection and prevention efforts. The British Government was, therefore, very pleased to partner with the Bali Process RSO to deliver this regional OSINT course to law enforcement and investigative partners in Southeast Asia.”

^{Opening remarks for the event were also provided by Police Colonel Morakot Saengsakoo, Superintendent, Cyber Security Unit, High-Tech Crime Division, Royal Thai Police (RTP).
Pol. Col Saengsakoo emphasized the importance of the training and in fostering regional cooperation, highlighting that “no single country possesses all the tools, intelligence, or jurisdiction necessary to dismantle these transnational criminal networks, and so cooperation with one another is crucial if we’re to see a sustainable solution.”}

Participants from Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Timor-Leste, and Viet Nam joined the workshop, developing OSINT skills to strengthen investigations into cyber-scam centre operations. The curriculum focused on building skills including advanced search techniques, social media monitoring, disinformation detection, geolocation, and cross-border collaboration approaches.

As cyber-scam centres continue to exploit trafficked individuals for forced criminality, law enforcement increasingly need to adapt investigative approaches to counter these evolving challenges and risks. The workshop supported this, leveraging the RSO’s recently developed OSINT curriculum and applying these skills to case studies and trends specific to the impact of cyber-scam centres in the Southeast Asian context.

“As the nature of the transnational criminal organisations facilitating trafficking into cyber-scam centres continues to evolve, so must our investigative approaches. The RSO developed this comprehensive OSINT curriculum in direct response to the growing, and increasingly sophisticated, cyber-scam centre phenomenon we’ve observed across the region,” highlighted RSO Co-Manager (Australia) David Scott.

Beyond technical sessions, the workshop prioritised fostering regional cooperation. Given the transnational nature of cyber-scam centres, successful interventions will often require proactive information-sharing and collaboration between agencies. The workshop facilitated networking between cybercrime investigators, counter-TIP specialists, and prosecutors, strengthening cross-border cooperation in tackling cyber-enabled trafficking.

“The interconnected nature of cyber-scam operations mean we need to aim for a coordinated regional response,” said Ryan Winch, RSO’s Transnational Crime and Technology Programme Manager. “By developing a network of OSINT practitioners across Southeast Asia, we are supporting law enforcement officers to collaborate effectively, using shared investigative methods and with jointly understood jargon and technical terminology to support the dismantling of trafficking networks into cyber-scam centres.”

Cyber-scam centres have evolved into a highly organised form of transnational crime, frequently exploiting individuals under the guise of legitimate employment. What intensified during the COVID-19 pandemic but remained a largely regional issue has now expanded, with criminal networks using deception and coercion to recruit victims of trafficking into these operations from around the world. Many who accept job offers—often believing them to be opportunities in customer service or IT—find themselves trapped in scam compounds, forced to carry out online fraud under constant surveillance and with no means of escape.

Recruitment methods have become more sophisticated over time. Trafficking recruiters today use fake job listings, social media outreach, and connections through friends and family to target individuals seeking work. Once inside scam centres, victims usually have their passports confiscated, their movements restricted, and face threats or violence if they refuse to participate in scamming and other forms of criminality. Many are held in conditions of debt bondage, forced to “repay” fabricated expenses before any possibility of release—if it is offered at all.

This workshop represented the first in a series of three regional RSO trainings supported by UK International Development to build capacity to counter trafficking into cyber-scam centres throughout South and Southeast Asia.

Next, a South Asia-focused workshop will take place in Colombo, Sri Lanka, bringing together counterparts from across South Asia for a workshop mirroring the Southeast Asian workshop. The third and final workshop will then bring together both Southeast and South Asian counterparts, leveraging the Bali Process’ membership that spans the Asia-Pacific in support of a cross-regional approach to tackling trafficking into cyber-scam centres and transnational organised crime.