OSCE facilitates dialogue on human trafficking linked to cyber scam operations in the Western Balkans

On 2 and 3 June in Bar, Montenegro, the OSCE Special Representative and Co-ordinator for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings (OSR/CTHB), with the support of the OSCE Mission to Montenegro, organized a regional workshop on trafficking in human beings in cyber scam operations. The event brought together more than 30 criminal justice practitioners, private sector representatives, and labour inspectorates from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia and Montenegro. The event was also supported by the OSCE Presence in Albania, the Missions to Bosnia and Herzegovina and Skopje, as well as by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR). 

While examining the risks of human trafficking linked to cyber scam operations in the region, participants discussed the modus operandi of criminal networks that recruit job-seekers with specific skills and language proficiency through AI-generated fraudulent job advertisements. They also analyzed financial flows and emerging vulnerabilities through real-life case studies and table-top exercises. The event facilitated policy and operational exchange, identified gaps in cross-border co-operation, and supported the development of coordinated prevention and enforcement strategies tailored to the risks identified in the Western Balkan countries. 

Opening the workshop, Jean-Benoit Manhes, Deputy Co-ordinator for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings highlighted, that “the rapid spread of cyber-scam operations in the OSCE region demands more than criminal justice solutions - it requires businesses, financial institutions, regulators, and governments to join forces, strengthen awareness and prevention, improve victim identification, enhance due diligence and prosecution, and deepen co-operation before exploitative business models become embedded in the legitimate economy”. He urged that “cyber scam should not be seen as an isolated phenomenon, but addressed as part of state, regional, and international efforts to combat all forms of human trafficking.”

In his opening remarks, Ambassador Jan Haukaas, Head of the OSCE Mission to Montenegro, highlighted that addressing this phenomenon requires engagement beyond the criminal justice system. “Stronger transparency in supply chains, enhanced oversight of recruitment intermediaries, and improved corporate due diligence are essential to preventing the misuse of legitimate business structures for exploitative purposes,” said Ambassador Haukaas.

According to the recently published OSCE research, the evolution of trafficking for forced criminality has resulted in a highly sophisticated global threat: trafficking for cyber scam operations. Widely regarded as a phenomenon that was once largely confined to Southeast Asia, it continues to spread to other regions, including to the OSCE area, as highlighted by the research findings. Persistent unemployment, outward migration, digitalization gaps and the presence of established organized crime networks appear to be contributing to the spread of this phenomenon in the Western Balkans. This emerging trend also highlights significant vulnerabilities in supply chain due diligence and corporate accountability frameworks across the Western Balkans and the wider OSCE region.