-By LeN Colombo Correspondent
(Lanka-e-News -11.Aug.2025, 11.00 PM) The Ministry of Defence has issued a warning to Sri Lankans seeking overseas employment after reports that human traffickers are luring victims into forced labour at “cyber scam centres” operating in parts of Southeast Asia with little official oversight.
According to official briefings, recruiters are using fake information technology job offers to entice jobseekers, then coercing them into working for organised criminal networks. These centres, believed to be engaged in large-scale online fraud, are run through intimidation and restrictions on freedom of movement.
Authorities estimate that criminal groups are currently attempting to recruit some 50,000 people across several countries, with Sri Lanka among the prime targets. Intelligence reports suggest at least five such centres have already been established, and that traffickers are using fabricated job advertisements — circulated heavily on social media — to attract interest from those keen on foreign work.
In recent weeks, eleven Sri Lankans have reportedly fallen victim to such schemes, ending up in these fraudulent operations. Officials add that Sri Lankans working in Dubai have also been approached with similar false promises and diverted to scam centres.
The National Anti-Human Trafficking Task Force, which operates under the Ministry of Defence, is urging all citizens to exercise extreme caution when responding to social media job postings purporting to offer work in countries such as Thailand, Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos.
Sri Lankans are advised to use only legal recruitment channels and to report any suspicious offers to the relevant authorities. The ministry emphasised that heightened vigilance is essential, as these scam operations are expanding and targeting citizens both at home and abroad.
-By LeN Colombo Correspondent
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by (2025-08-11 19:10:40)
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