The Reality of Phone Scammers: An Insight into Modern-Day Slavery and Human Trafficking in the UK

Introduction to Phone Scamming and Its Dark Underbelly

As phone scams become more prevalent, and fraudsters employ more sophisticated tactics to deceive unsuspecting victims, the issue is affecting even the tech-savvy amongst us. Many scams are designed to invoke fear, and manipulate victims into compliance with the criminal's agenda.

Victims of phone scams often suffer significant financial loss, emotional distress, and even identity theft. In UK Finance's 2024 report, it was recorded that 1.17 billion pounds were stolen in the year 2023. The impact this has on victims of fraud is undeniable, but, what often goes overlooked, is the plight of the individuals who become involved in these crimes.

Far from the avaricious manipulators we might imagine these criminals to be, many individuals on the end of the line are, themselves, a victim of crime. It has been noted that many are in fact victims of human trafficking and forced labor, coerced into crime through threats and deception of legitimate employment by organised criminal groups.

RESPECT International estimates that 27.6 million people worldwide are subject to forced labor, with research at INTERPOL highlighting that many are forced to work at criminal call centres located in South-East Asia and surrounding countries. These centres are resemblant of prisons, with constant surveillance and high security measures. (More on this here: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/nov/24/the-people-targeting-you-with-cyberscams-may-themselves-be-victims-of-slavery).

The Mechanisms of Human Trafficking in the UK

Human trafficking is multi-faceted, with criminal organisations employing a variety of means to trap, coerce, and recruit individuals into criminal activity. In phone scamming, traffickers often falsely advertise high-paying jobs in IT, data, and customer service with low-skill requirements to vulnerable individuals, offering a better life and employment prospects - only for the grim reality to shortly unfold.

The Warsaw Human Dimension Conference 2024 noted that Ukrainian refugees are especially victim to human trafficking in the UK, as well as Romanians. Smuggling networks exploit gaps in border controls, and the entry of trafficked individuals involves forged identities. Then, once at the destination, any identifying documents of the victim are confiscated - causing entrapment, and dependence, upon the criminal organisation.

The United Kingdom's definition of human trafficking recognises that this is a hidden crime, and the ways in which it may manifest are numerous. Since the roll-out of the Modern Slavery Act 2015, victims of human trafficking have been able to receive a legal defence under section 45. Furthermore, the act has allowed law enforcement to double down on preventing boats suspected of holding slaves at the border. Yet, even with these measures in place, the invisible nature of trafficking continues to present hurdles for UK law. Traffickers exploit modern technology alongside the use of unregistered and unidentifiable residences to entrap victims and conceal criminal activity. Without identities, law enforcement struggle to track and locate these individuals, and they fall under the radar of local police forces.

Legal and Support Frameworks in the UK: Combating Human Trafficking

In the UK, NGOs such as The Salvation Army and the British Red Cross tirelessly work at combating human trafficking, providing services to support and advocate for victims, whilst raising public awareness of Modern Slavery. The Government currently employs the National Referral Mechanism (NRM) to provide access to safe housing and physical/emotional support for victims.

Yet, despite this framework, it has been noted by researchers in the field that the NRM is suffering a delay in regards to decision-making for entries due to the arguably stringent requirements placed on lodging applications. This leaves victims in vulnerable positions for an extended period of time, and places a greater reliance on charities struggling to finance relief operations.

That being said, as the issue becomes increasingly reported on, the UK Government is tasked to respond effectively through more robust initiatives.

How You Can Help: Raising Awareness and Taking Action

Recognising and combating phone scamming and human trafficking requires collective effort. By staying vigilant and informed, you can do your part in ensuring that victims are identified and organisations are notified.

See what you can do to help here: https://www.ourwatch.org.uk/modern-slavery/spotting-the-signs#:~:text=Signs%20of%20a%20potential%20victim%20of%20modern%20slavery%20may%20include%3A&text=They%20appear%20to%20be%20under,if%20ever%2C%20have%20days%20off

For reporting, you can contact Crimestoppers anonymously - see https://crimestoppers-uk.org