US crackdown on online scam networks: 6 key facts about scam centres, human trafficking, enforcement and Ghana’s connection

• The US is intensifying its fight against international scam networks, combining law enforcement, financial sanctions and international cooperation to target organisations involved in cyber fraud.

• Many people working in scam centres are trafficking victims themselves, with recruits reportedly lured by fake job offers before being subjected to forced labour, threats and abuse.

• Ghana is connected to the wider issue, with US and UN reports highlighting fraudulent recruitment and trafficking risks affecting Ghanaians, although Ghana is not identified as a major base for the South-East Asian scam compounds.

The crackdown is part of a broader US strategy that combines law enforcement, financial sanctions, diplomacy and international cooperation. Recent US and UN reports show that the problem extends far beyond the United States and Southeast Asia, with people from countries around the world becoming both victims of fraud and trafficking.

The latest US strategy was formalised on 6 March 2026, when President Donald Trump signed Executive Order 14390, titled Combating Cybercrime, Fraud, and Predatory Schemes Against American Citizens.

The order directs US agencies to improve the way they identify, disrupt and dismantle transnational criminal organisations involved in cyber-enabled fraud and scam centres.

It also calls for greater international cooperation, including pressure on foreign governments to take action against criminal networks operating within their territories.

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The problem is no longer limited to isolated groups of internet fraudsters.

A February 2026 report by the UN Human Rights Office estimated that at least 300,000 people from 66 countries were involved in scam operations across South-East Asia. The UN said many were trafficked into the operations and subjected to serious human rights abuses.

Major scam centres have been documented in Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos, while related operations have also been reported elsewhere in the region.

US authorities have separately estimated that Americans lost more than US$10 billion in 2024 to scam operations based in South-East Asia.

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One of the most disturbing aspects of the industry is the trafficking of people into forced criminality.

Recruiters often advertise seemingly legitimate jobs, including positions in technology and customer service. Once recruits arrive at their destinations, however, they may have their passports confiscated and be forced to work for criminal organisations.

The US State Department has documented cases in which victims were subjected to threats, physical violence, torture and false imprisonment after being recruited into scam operations in Myanmar.

The UN has similarly documented people being held in prison-like conditions and forced to work long hours targeting unsuspecting victims online.

This means that describing everyone inside a scam compound simply as a "scammer" can obscure another part of the crime: human trafficking and forced labour.

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Modern scam operations can involve far more than conventional phishing emails.

One particularly notorious model is the so-called "pig butchering" scam, in which criminals gradually establish a relationship with a target, sometimes presenting themselves as a romantic partner or friend , before persuading the victim to put money into a fake investment platform.

US Treasury documents say Southeast Asian criminal networks have used these schemes to target Americans and others around the world. The fraudulent platforms can be designed to appear legitimate while being controlled by the criminals.

The criminal networks also rely on sophisticated digital infrastructure and financial channels to move and conceal their proceeds.

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The US response has moved beyond public warnings.

In June 2026, the US Treasury Department sanctioned nine individuals and 26 entities linked to the Cambodia-based Prince Group Transnational Criminal Organisation. The action targeted people and companies connected to scam compounds and the movement of criminal proceeds.

Earlier, in October 2025, Treasury sanctioned 146 targets associated with Prince Group and took steps to cut Cambodia-based Huione Group from the US financial system.

According to FinCEN, Huione Group had laundered at least US$4 billion in illicit proceeds between August 2021 and January 2025.

US authorities have also targeted the Karen National Army in Myanmar, which Treasury accused of facilitating cyber scams, human trafficking and other criminal activities connected to scam compounds.

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Ghana does not appear to be the main location of the South-East Asian scam compounds described in the latest UN reporting. However, Ghana is connected to the wider trafficking and online-fraud picture.

The UN's reporting makes clear that people trafficked into scam centres in South-East Asia originate from countries across Africa and other parts of the world.

US State Department reporting also documents fraudulent recruitment and trafficking affecting Ghanaians. Its 2024 Trafficking in Persons report says Ghanaian men and women seeking employment can be targeted through fraudulent job advertising and informal recruitment channels.

Ghana also has its own long-running experience with internet fraud. US government reporting has previously identified "sakawa" as a form of internet fraud in Ghana, including romance, advance-fee and other online scams.

The Ghana connection therefore needs to be understood carefully: the available evidence supports Ghana's relevance to the broader fraud and trafficking ecosystem, but it does not establish Ghana as a major base for the South-East Asian scam compounds targeted by the current US crackdown.

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The US campaign reflects a broader shift in how governments are approaching online scams.

Rather than viewing cyber fraud solely as a problem involving anonymous criminals and financial losses, US and UN authorities are increasingly treating scam centres as part of a wider criminal ecosystem involving human trafficking, forced labour, money laundering, organised crime and cyber fraud.

For Ghana and other African countries, the issue also highlights the risks associated with seemingly attractive overseas job offers.

The key warning is simple: a job advert promising unusually high pay, overseas travel and easy employment, particularly in technology or customer service, can sometimes be a recruitment tool for trafficking networks.