New Delhi, Nov 1 : Online scam networks allegedly run by Chinese nationals have shifted operations from Cambodia to Madagascar following law enforcement crackdowns in Southeast Asia, with authorities uncovering links between the criminal groups and cases involving suspected human trafficking, according to reports.
An AFP report, titled 'Chinese Scam Networks Shift From Cambodia to Madagascar as Authorities Crack Down', published on Sunday, said authorities in Madagascar had dismantled 13 scam compounds during operations conducted in August and September in coordination with the US Department of Justice (DOJ).
The operations targeted centres involved in romance scams, cryptocurrency fraud and investment scams, most of which were allegedly operated by Chinese nationals. Madagascar's Justice Ministry said 148 Chinese nationals had been extradited to China in connection with the crackdown.
According to a statement cited in the report, US authorities seized approximately $52 million in cryptocurrency in a single day and processed more than 3,200 electronic devices as part of the investigation.
The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime had previously warned about the expansion of such criminal networks, particularly into Southern Africa, the report said.
Investigators found that some African nationals recruited to work in Madagascar may themselves have been victims of human trafficking. Authorities said around 20 nationals from Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda, and Zimbabwe were in custody in connection with the investigation.
Hassan Mouigni, head of the police crime unit, told AFP that the individuals had allegedly been recruited through Facebook with promises of employment in the commercial sector.
"But when they arrived here, most of the passports were confiscated by the boss, and they were forced to scam," Mouigni said, adding that the recruits had been deceived.
The report also highlighted a separate incident in August in which 11 Chinese nationals arrested during the crackdown reportedly walked free from a Madagascan prison. The episode triggered a widely publicised scandal, with allegations implicating the head of the country's prison service.
Meanwhile, several African nationals remained in custody despite preliminary findings suggesting that they may have been trafficking victims, officials said.
The US Department of Justice reportedly identified a Malaysian national, Chui Kok Wa, as the alleged operator of a romance scam scheme based in a villa in Ivato, an upscale neighbourhood near Madagascar's capital, Antananarivo.
Mouigni told AFP that an examination of Chui's passport indicated that he had arrived in Madagascar for the first time in 2024 and had previously travelled to Cambodia.
The DOJ reportedly assessed that Chui's criminal group, with connections to Malaysia and China, established scam compounds in Madagascar in early 2025, likely relocating operations from Cambodia following law enforcement action there.
Tsitohaina Ralihivao, coordinator of the cybercrime unit at Madagascar's communications ministry, also linked the relocation to a 2025 crackdown on scam compounds in Cambodia near the Thai border.
"When the Thais dismantled them, they just relocated the operations. The same organisations came to Madagascar," Ralihivao told AFP.
An FBI court document cited by the DOJ reportedly supported this assessment. Three Brazilian nationals questioned by investigators said they had initially responded to online job advertisements and ended up working at a scam compound in Cambodia before being moved to Antananarivo in early May 2026.
The document attributed the relocation partly to the armed conflict between Cambodia and Thailand and partly to police action against scam compounds in Cambodia.
"Cyber scam centres are increasingly opening in Africa following the closure of such compounds in Southeast Asia," the FBI said, according to the report.
Madagascan authorities said the networks required recruits from English-speaking African countries because their operations primarily targeted English-speaking markets.
Mouigni told AFP that the centres targeted countries including the United States, Canada, and Pakistan, prompting the need to recruit workers with English-language skills.
Authorities also observed changes in how the compounds operated. Mouigni said the networks initially occupied relatively discreet villas but later began renting entire hotels, drawing greater attention from local residents and investigators.
One suspected compound operating from the Live Hotel in Antananarivo was allegedly headed by a Chinese national who was among those extradited to Beijing.
A US federal law enforcement officer said in court documents that Chinese nationals identified as leaders of the operations could not be questioned by the FBI after their extradition, according to the AFP report.
The investigation highlights the reported geographical expansion of transnational cybercrime networks and the challenges authorities face in distinguishing between alleged perpetrators and individuals recruited through deception and possible human trafficking.
