On Wednesday, the director of Interpol stated that organized crime rings, which fueled the “explosion” of cyber scam and human trafficking centers during the epidemic, have spread from Southeast Asia into a global network. This network generates up to $3 trillion annually.
“Driven by online anonymity, inspired by new business models and accelerated by COVID, these organized crime groups are now working at a scale that was unimaginable a decade ago,” Interpol secretary-general Jurgen Stock told a briefing at the global police coordination body’s Singapore office.
“What began as a regional crime threat in Southeast Asia has become a global human trafficking crisis, with millions of victims, both in the cyber scam centers and as targets.”
According to Stock, the new cyber-scam centers frequently employ unwilling workers who are lured in with the promise of real jobs. These centers have assisted organized crime groups in generating income streams other than drug trafficking.
According to him, 40% to 70% of the money made by criminal gangs still came from drug trafficking operations.
“But we see groups clearly diversifying their criminal businesses using drug trafficking routes also for trafficking of human beings, trafficking of arms, intellectual property, stolen products, car theft,” Stock stated.
Additionally, he stated that between $2 trillion and $3 trillion in illicit revenues pass through the international banking system each year. Moreover, one organized crime gang can earn as much as $50 billion in revenue yearly.
The UN reported last year that over 100,000 people have been forced into Cambodian online scam sites. China received thousands of Chinese telecom fraud suspects who were on the run from Myanmar in November.
A Reuters report from the previous year detailed the emergence of one branch of this alleged cybercrime and its funding in Thailand. Additionally, it highlighted the growing concern surrounding this issue.
Stock gave Singapore high marks for its efforts in detecting a money laundering case. These efforts involved seized assets valued at more than S$3 billion ($2.23 billion) in the previous year.
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