Communicative Entrapment in the Digital Scam Industry: Indonesian Migrant Workers in Cambodia

A raid at an online fraud complex in Cambodia in early 2026 revealed hundreds of Indonesian migrant workers forced to work in the cross-border scam industry. Many were recruited through online job offers promising high salaries and rapid departure processes. The case illustrates the transformation of human trafficking within a digitally mediated illicit economy. Recruitment operates through misleading communication, control is maintained through communication restrictions, and exploitation occurs through the coerced production of fraudulent messages. This dynamic creates a form of forced criminality in which victims are compelled to participate in illegal activities as part of a coercive structure. The concept of communicative entrapment explains how communication functions as a structural mechanism of control in contemporary trafficking systems. This perspective highlights the risk of victim misidentification in legal processes and underscores the importance of applying the principle of non-punishment consistently. Policy implications include strengthening digital migration literacy, expanding victim identification indicators sensitive to communicative coercion, and adapting regional cooperation to the dynamics of cross-border online recruitment. These measures support reforms in digital migration governance and survivor-centered victim protection while contributing to the strengthening of just and inclusive institutions aligned with Sustainable Development Goal 16 on peace, justice, and strong institutions. Operationally, this concept can inform victim identification frameworks and law enforcement training protocols that are sensitive to communicative forms of coercion.