Thousands of migrants without money, or people who lost their jobs due to the Covid-19 pandemic in Southeast Asia, are victims of forced recruitment by cybercriminal mafias under threats.

According to a report by the UN Human Rights Office, thousands of people are recruited by online criminal gangs who, taking advantage of their need for money, threaten families and drag them into perpetuating cybercrime.

It has been estimated, according to a reliable source, about 120,000 people in this situation in Burma, as well as about 100,000 in Cambodia. More cases are not ruled out in Laos, the Philippines and Thailand.

Migrants who do not have money for their subsistence and to attend to the needs of their families are the ones who are normally captured by these mafias and forced, under threats and inhumane treatment, to commit crimes on the Internet, particularly in illegal games, cryptocurrencies scams, fraudulent dating apps, among others.

In this sense, the UN High Commissioner, Volker Turk, considers that these people are victims, not criminals. He pleads for them to be treated that way, given that they are coerced into carrying out these jobs.

The mafias take great advantage of the people they hire by force, since they usually have a university education, speak other languages ​​or have knowledge of the Internet.

Beyond the policies of Southeast Asian countries to combat cybercrime, there are always vulnerabilities and sometimes international standards are not met. Therefore, the victims of this type of abuse can go unnoticed, in addition to being the ones who are normally arrested for online crimes.

M.Pino

With information from international media and agencies

(Reference image source: Unsplash, in collaboration with Getty Images)

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