Sri Lanka Emerging as a New Base for Asia’s Scam Networks

The crackdown on scam compounds in Cambodia is leading some gangs to relocate to beach resorts and office buildings in Sri Lanka, in what may be the next phase of one of the world’s fastest-growing criminal industries. 

A combination of visa-free travel, available building space, relatively strong telecommunications networks and a well-established informal money transfer system make the South Asian island nation an appealing destination for



scammers, investigators say.

Authorities in Sri Lanka have set up a new cybercrimes unit and say they’ve arrested more than 1,000 people this year alone, most in western beach areas where tourists flock or in the capital, Colombo. 

“Police, along with the immigration department and the central bank, are working as a collective effort to see that this is being controlled,” said assistant police superintendent Fredrick Wootler.