New Delhi: India’s coordinated cybercrime response helped locate a suspected online scam compound in Cambodia and secure the rescue of 81 Indian nationals, according to a report released by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) on November 5, 2026.
The operation was carried out in late 2025 after Indian nationals held at a facility in Bavet, near Cambodia’s border with Vietnam, sent out a public distress message. The Indian Embassy in Phnom Penh identified the appeal, established contact with those seeking help and approached the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) to trace the location.
Officials used open-source intelligence, analysing publicly available digital information such as images, online posts and maps to identify the compound. The information was subsequently shared with Cambodian authorities, leading to the rescue of 81 Indians over two days.
The FATF report also examines how Indian job seekers are lured into overseas scam operations through fraudulent employment offers. It refers to 15 Indians repatriated from scam facilities in Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar during 2023 and 2024. Their accounts revealed that many had been promised well-paid jobs in information technology and customer service before being transported to the facilities, often through Thailand.
Some recruits were reportedly charged between ₹50,000 and ₹70,000 as recruitment fees. On reaching their destinations, they were allegedly forced to participate in online fraud instead of performing the jobs they had been offered. The report highlights how recruitment debts, restricted movement and coercion can turn such workers into victims of human trafficking.
The document describes scam compounds as organised criminal operations supported by a network of recruiters, payment facilitators, SIM suppliers, data brokers and technology providers. SIM boxes, illegal payment gateways and cryptocurrency services are among the tools that can help these networks conduct scams and move illicit proceeds across borders.
FATF also warns that criminal groups are increasingly using artificial intelligence, deepfakes and automated communication to expand their reach. Some are shifting from large, centralised compounds to smaller and more dispersed operations to evade law enforcement.
Highlighting India’s response, the report points to I4C’s integrated systems for cybercrime reporting, financial tracking and coordination. The Citizen Financial Cyber Fraud Reporting and Management System connects complaints with banks, payment aggregators, e-commerce platforms and virtual asset service providers, helping authorities identify suspicious transactions and initiate action to prevent further movement of stolen funds.
It also refers to platforms such as Sahyog, which facilitates coordination on online content-related requests, and Samanvaya, which supports information-sharing and investigations across states.
The FATF has called for international action against the wider infrastructure sustaining scam operations, including recruitment networks, financial channels and telecommunications services. It stresses that cooperation between governments, law enforcement agencies, banks and technology companies is essential to dismantling these cross-border criminal networks.
The report also underlines the importance of rapid intervention, noting that the first 24 to 72 hours after a fraud is detected can be crucial in tracing and freezing stolen money.
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