UK, US sanction Southeast Asian scam networks exploiting trafficked workers

LONDON (Reuters) -Britain and the United States on Tuesday sanctioned a Southeast Asia-based multinational network accused of operating large-scale online 'scam centres' that used trafficked workers to defraud victims across the globe.

The British government said the centres, located in Cambodia, Myanmar and across the region, used fake job adverts to lure workers who were then forced to commit online fraud under threat of torture.

This included luring victims into fake romantic relationships before, persuading them to invest large sums into fraudulent cryptocurrency platforms.

"The masterminds behind these horrific scam centres are ruining the lives of vulnerable people and buying up London homes to store their money," said British foreign minister Yvette Cooper.

She said the joint action with the United States aimed to "combat the growing transnational threat" posed by the network and to "keep dirty money off our streets".

Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent said in a separate statement: "The rapid rise of transnational fraud has cost American citizens billions of dollars, with life savings wiped out in minutes."

(Reporting by Sam Tabahriti, Editing William James)