Countering Cyber Scam Operations

Cybercrime and scam compounds have emerged as a rapidly evolving and multifaceted issue across Southeast Asia, with about 220,000 people held in scam compounds in Myanmar and Cambodia alone. Cyber scam operations rely on forced and trafficked labor, cross-boundary illicit finances, and sophisticated criminal networks that target countries in the Indo-Pacific as well as in North America, generating by some estimates upward of $3 trillion (USD) in revenue. The transnational nature of this problem necessitates a timely and coordinated policy response.

This project will address the threats posed by cyber scam operations and build capacity for the implementation of national and international law, internationally agreed cyber norms, and confidence-building measures (CBMs), by facilitating dialogue among the key stakeholders in victim services, national and cybersecurity authorities, and international organizations including the industry.

It builds on the Stimson Center’s Cyber Accountability project as well as a long track record of work in the region on issues of peace, security, and development as led by Stimson’s Southeast Asia program. While the project primarily engages Cambodia, India, Lao PDR, Pakistan, Philippines, Thailand, and Viet Nam, it will address a broad range of issues that affect regional cyber capacity and resilience, including human rights and gender. Through a series of virtual and in-person roundtables, and policy dialogues, the project will produce a set of recommendations to support the implementation of international law and norms of responsible cyber behavior in the Indo-Pacific.