A investigation conducted by India Today found that human traffickers lure Indian citizens to Cambodia with promises of jobs, and they are then forced to commit online financial scams and cybercrimes. With a growing number of digital arrest frauds In India, the cyber wing of the Ministry of Home Affairs has identified South East Asian countries like Cambodia, Myanmar, Vietnam, Laos and Thailand as hotbeds of these scams.

The Indian Embassy in Cambodia has also issued a notice for job seekers in the country. The embassy also urged Indian nationals not to seek employment on a “tourist visa”, which is illegal in Cambodia.

“It has become evident that Indian nationals, lured by false promises of lucrative job opportunities in Cambodia, are falling into the trap of human traffickers. These Indian nationals are being forced to engage in online financial scams and other illegal activities,” the notice states.

The IPDRs (Internet Protocol Detail Record) of the digital arrest fraudsters revealed that they were located in Cambodia, Myanmar and Vietnam, India Today has found. The money collected through these scams is then withdrawn from ATMs in Dubai and Vietnam.

Cybercriminals based in Cambodia, Myanmar and Vietnam order Indian SIM cards for their agents. The investigation found that around 45,000 SIM cards were sent to Cambodia and Myanmar. The SIM cards were then deactivated by Indian agencies.

In March, the Uttarakhand Special Task Force seized around 3,000 M2M SIM cards, specially designed for machine-to-machine communication.

Sources in the cyber wing of the Home Ministry said scammers were siphoning off around Rs 6 crore every day through digital arrests. In the first 10 months of this year alone, scammers siphoned off Rs 2,140 crore.

The Ministry of Interior found that fraudsters mainly operate from call centers located in Chinese casinos in Cambodia. Till October, the cyber wing reported a staggering 92,334 cases related to digital arrest frauds.