Digital Slavery: Bangladeshi Migrants Targeted by Recruitment Scams in Cambodia

• Bangladeshi migrants are increasingly falling victim to technology-facilitated human trafficking, where fake job advertisements lead them into forced labor at "cyber slavery" compounds in Cambodia.
• Victims are recruited via WhatsApp and social media with promises of high-paying jobs, only to have their passports seized upon arrival and be forced into conducting digital scams.
• Data indicates that 98% of the 17,031 Bangladeshi migrants who traveled to Cambodia between June 2023 and July 2026 did not receive the promised employment.

The Recruitment Network

• An illicit network of middlemen (dalals), travel agencies, and recruitment firms exploits migrants' trust in online social circles to facilitate these scams.
• While official migration costs range from USD 654 to USD 1,258, victims report paying brokers between USD 2,835 and USD 4,450.
• Bangladesh lacks a consular presence in Cambodia, leaving migrants without a diplomatic safety net when operations fail.

Forced Labor and Extortion

• Once inside the compounds, victims are sold between operators for sums between USD 1,500 and USD 4,000 and are forced to run romance scams, investment frauds, and cryptocurrency schemes.
• Syndicates demand thousands of dollars in ransom from victims' families, often threatening further abuse or resale if payments are not made.
• Many returnees suffer from significant debt and trauma, yet struggle to prosecute their traffickers due to a lack of documentation, payment receipts, or transaction history.

Response and Challenges

• Although Cambodia enacted an anti-scam law in April and has conducted raids, crime syndicates have adapted by moving operations into smaller, decentralized cells within residential apartment blocks.
• Between June 2026 and current counts, approximately 1,800 victims have returned to Bangladesh, many after liquidating family savings or incurring heavy debt to secure their release.