EU Statement at the UNTOC Working Group on Combating trafficking in persons in relation to scam centres, 24 June 2026
Chair,
I have the honour to speak on behalf of the European Union and its Member States. Albania, Andorra, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Iceland, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Republic of Moldova, San Marino, Serbia, Türkiye and Ukraine align themselves with this statement.
The European Union considers scam centers a complex security threat at the intersection of trafficking in human beings, cybercrime, organised crime and financial crime. We are deeply concerned by their rapid proliferation from Southeast Asia to Latin America and West Africa.
Victims of trafficking in the scam centers are compelled to commit online fraud and other cyber-enabled criminal activities targeting victims worldwide, including within the European Union.
Criminal networks use AI-powered tools to automate communication, generate fake identities and websites, produce deepfakes and voice cloning in an increasing number of languages. AI facilitates recruitment, control and exploitation while increasing the scale and sophistication of trafficking-related crimes, including online fraud. At the same time, AI can support the fight against trafficking and scam centers through improved financial intelligence, online investigations and detection of suspicious online activities
Chair,
The EU promotes a broad multidisciplinary and international partnership to prevent and combat the scam centers. Cooperation is being strengthened with the ASEAN partners, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, the Council of Europe and Interpol. The issue is also increasingly discussed within the framework of the G7.
The EU also pursues regional engagement through the ESIWA+ (the programme on Enhancing security cooperation in and with Asia), including policy dialogues and high-level seminars such as the first joint EU-Thailand workshop on combating scam centers in August 2025 and the EU-Thailand-ASEAN regional seminar in April 2026. Through the EuroMed Justice Network, the EU fosters operational and strategic cooperation with South Partner countries in tackling transnational crimes. In addition, a forthcoming EU-funded project will further support prevention, operational cooperation and international engagement against scam centres globally, with a sub-set focused on Southeast Asia.
Moreover, operational cooperation has intensified under the European Multidisciplinary Platform Against Criminal Threats (EMPACT), both under the trafficking in human beings and cybercrime priorities. Operational actions support intelligence-sharing, joint investigations, victim identification and protection, and cooperation with third countries affected by scam compounds.
Chair,
The active involvement of digital services providers is essential and is a requirement under EU law. Specifically, the Digital Services Act creates obligations for very large online platforms and very large search engines to identify, analyse, assess and mitigate any systemic risks stemming from the design or functioning of their service and its related systems. The AI Act and the adopted guidelines on high-risk AI systems address risks linked to manipulation and malicious use, while the amended Anti-Trafficking Directive reinforces the effective implementation of the non-punishment principle for victims coerced to engage in unlawful activities as a consequence of forced criminality.
Finally, at policy level, the European Commission is preparing a new EU Action Plan to combat online fraud and a new EU Strategy on combating Trafficking in Human Beings to address these issues. The new EU Anti-trafficking Strategy, expected in October 2026, will place a strong focus on technology-facilitated trafficking, including online exploitation and artificial intelligence.
Thank you.