In recent years, media coverage has highlighted a new form of human trafficking linked to the online scam industry—now widely described as ‘cyber slavery’. Thousands of people from around the world are being trafficked into scam compounds, mostly in Southeast Asia (Cambodia, Myanmar, Laos, the Philippines), often through fake job offers, deception by acquaintances, or even outright kidnapping. Once inside, their documents are confiscated and they are forced to perpetrate scams under threat of violence. At the same time, countless scam victims on the outside lose their savings and suffer profound psychological harm.

This book takes readers into the fast-expanding industrial ecosystems of online fraud across Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, and the Philippines. Based on fieldwork, survivor testimonies, leaked corporate documents, and investigative reporting, this book reveals how “scam compounds” have turned forced criminality into a global business model. It traces the emergence of these illicit infrastructures, the political and financial interests behind them, and the human stories of the victims and perpetrators trapped within. This is not only a book about crime, but also about power, governance, and the new moral economies of digital capitalism.

In recent years, the online scam industry has expanded dramatically in East and Southeast Asia, shifting from dispersed small operations in apartments and villas to large “scam compounds” hosting multiple companies. Evidence shows thousands of people have been deceived and trafficked into these facilities, often through false job offers, acquaintances, or outright abduction. While media coverage has grown, academic research remains limited and misconceptions abound. Drawing on a survey of Chinese victims and interviews with survivors from China and elsewhere, this paper offers a more systematic account of victim backgrounds and stresses the need for better information-sharing to improve prevention and support survivors.

This article examines the gendered dimensions of forced criminality in Southeast Asia’s online scam industry through a life-cycle lens. Based on interviews with female survivors trafficked to compounds in Cambodia, Myanmar, and other hubs, it traces their paths from pre-recruitment vulnerabilities to captivity and release. Findings show how the absence of community support left women dependent on precarious strategies that reinforced patriarchal control. Inside the compounds, gendered coercion—including sexual violence and reproductive control—intersected with militarized labor regimes built for maximum extraction. After exit, participants faced ongoing risks, stigma, and economic insecurity with minimal assistance. The analysis highlights the need for gender-sensitive interventions and sustained support across all stages.