Cyber slavery: The new face of human trafficking in the digital age

Cyber slavery, or digital slavery, is emerging as a new form of human trafficking. Victims are lured with fake jobs and coerced into online scams. India has seen losses of Rs 500 crore in a year, officials say, highlighting global jurisdictional challenges

Hyderabad: Cyber slavery is now the new face of human trafficking being adopted by cyber fraudsters to dupe unsuspecting victims in the digital age.

Also called digital slavery, this is a form of organised crime where individuals are coerced or deceived into digital labour. It often involves illegal online activities.

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“Unlike traditional slavery, cyber slavery occurs in virtual spaces, but it is equally exploitative in comparison with other modus operandi,” said a cybercrime official.

Elaborating further about the latest modus operandi, cybercrime officials said cyber crooks manipulate their targets (victims) with fake job offers, threats, or psychological pressure.

They extensively use digital platforms and apps for performing fraudulent tasks. This includes romance scams, investment frauds, forced digital labour, or cybercrime operations, and fraudsters claim control over personal data or issue threats to prevent victims from escaping.

Recently, several hundreds of victims, mostly youth, were lured to Cambodia with promises of jobs like data entry. On arrival, their passports were confiscated and they were forced to work in cyber scam centres. Their tasks included posing as fake dating profiles, law enforcement officials, or financial advisors to cheat people.

In the past one year, victims in India have lost an estimated Rs 500 crore to these online scams.

Cybercrime officials said the anonymity, use of VPNs, pseudonyms, and encrypted channels shields the identities of the crooks, apart from jurisdictional issues, as perpetrators operate globally. Also, victim reluctance, fear of reprisal, or legal action discourages them from seeking police help.