The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) on Tuesday, 28 July warned that hundreds of thousands of people across Africa have been trafficked by organised criminal networks and coerced into online fraud operations, generating billions of dollars in illicit profits each year. The alert, issued from Nairobi, comes days before the World Day Against Trafficking in Persons on 30 July 2025, observed this year under the theme 'Trapped Behind the Scam.'

Scale of the Threat

IOM said trafficking networks are increasingly preying on job seekers across East, Horn and Southern Africa, luring victims with false promises of overseas employment before forcing them into illegal activities. Nationals from Kenya, Ethiopia, and neighbouring countries have reportedly been trafficked into scam compounds operating in Asia, according to the agency.

Frantz Celestin, IOM Regional Director for East, Horn and Southern Africa, said in a statement: 'The identification of East Africans among victims rescued from scam compounds demonstrates that trafficking for forced criminality is no longer a distant threat. Criminal networks are actively targeting job seekers across our region with false promises of employment abroad.'

Ethiopia Arrests 17 in Major Trafficking Bust

In a significant enforcement action last week, Ethiopian police announced the arrest of 17 suspected members of an organised human trafficking network accused of illegally trafficking tens of thousands of Ethiopians and causing the deaths of more than 60 people. The suspects are allegedly led by a trafficking kingpin named Mohamed Tahir Aden.

According to the Ethiopian Federal Police, the network smuggled more than 40,000 Ethiopian nationals to Saudi Arabia through Djibouti and Yemen. The group is also accused of committing serious crimes including sexual violence against several women, and of collecting more than 1 billion birr (approximately $6.19 million) from victims.

How the Networks Operate

Police said the trafficking group deployed brokers to recruit victims from different parts of Ethiopia, falsely assuring them they could easily enter Saudi Arabia via Yemen and secure a better life. This recruitment model — targeting economically vulnerable individuals through deceptive employment promises — mirrors the broader pattern IOM has flagged across the region.

Notably, the IOM's warning underscores how forced criminality in scam compounds has evolved into a structured, transnational industry. Victims are not merely exploited for labour; they are compelled to operate online fraud schemes, generating revenue for criminal enterprises while remaining trapped abroad.

Regional and Global Context

This comes amid growing international concern over Southeast Asian scam compounds — particularly in Myanmar, Cambodia, and Laos — where trafficked individuals from multiple continents have been documented. The expansion of these networks into East Africa as a recruitment ground marks a significant geographic shift that authorities and aid organisations are only beginning to quantify.

As the 30 July global observance approaches, IOM is calling for coordinated regional action to dismantle trafficking infrastructure and protect job seekers from deceptive recruitment practices. How swiftly governments across the Horn and East Africa respond will determine whether the arrests in Ethiopia signal a turning point or remain an isolated enforcement action.