The United Kingdom has pledged financial support to help dismantle transnational scam centres operating across Southeast Asia as part of a broader international effort to combat organised crime and cross-border fraud.
The commitment was announced by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the UK Ministry of Justice, Alex Davies-Jones, during the United Nations Crime Congress in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Davies-Jones delivered the UK’s national statement on Sunday, September 27, outlining a series of commitments covering organised crime, online abuse, justice reform and child protection.
Under the commitment, the UK will provide financial support between 2026 and 2031 to assist efforts to dismantle transnational scam compounds in Southeast Asia and strengthen international cooperation against fraud.
Scam centres have become a major concern in the region, with criminal networks using organised facilities and digital technology to conduct large-scale fraud against victims in different countries.
The UK Government said criminal operations increasingly cross national borders, making cooperation between law enforcement agencies essential to identifying perpetrators, disrupting their financial networks and bringing those responsible to justice.
The British government has previously entered into agreements with countries in Southeast Asia to strengthen the fight against online scams. In September, the UK and Cambodia signed a memorandum of understanding to improve intelligence sharing, coordinate law-enforcement activities and support investigations into scam-centre networks.
The agreement also recognised that some people working in scam compounds are themselves victims of human trafficking. According to the UK Government, trafficked foreign nationals can be forced to participate in fraudulent activities under threats of violence and other forms of abuse.
Davies-Jones said the UK would also invest an additional £1.5m in initiatives designed to counter organised crime. The funding is linked to the country’s wider support for the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime’s programmes on implementing the Organized Crime Convention and developing strategies against transnational criminal networks.
The minister said the growing use of digital platforms by criminal organisations meant that law-enforcement agencies needed greater access to digital evidence and improved technological capabilities.
She said the UK would continue strengthening cooperation with international partners and supporting justice and policing institutions in different countries.
The UK also announced plans to introduce stronger protections for children using phones and tablets. The proposed measures are designed to prevent children from taking, viewing or sharing nude images on their devices.
Davies-Jones said the government would introduce effective protections and legislate to secure compliance if necessary. The proposal is part of wider UK efforts to tackle technology-facilitated violence against women and girls and protect children from online exploitation.
The UK Government had earlier announced plans for legislation requiring technology companies to strengthen protections against children accessing or sharing nude images. The proposed rules are intended to address risks including grooming, exploitation and abuse.
Davies-Jones also pledged that Britain would launch a call for evidence on online misogynistic image-based abuse to identify emerging forms of harm and determine appropriate responses.
Other commitments announced at the UN Crime Congress included continued support for Ukraine’s justice system, assistance to countries implementing the UN Organized Crime Convention and measures to protect survivors of crime who cross international borders.
The minister said the increasingly international nature of organised crime meant no country could effectively tackle the problem alone.
She stressed that sharing expertise, intelligence and investigative capabilities would be necessary to disrupt criminal networks and strengthen justice systems.
The UK’s latest commitments therefore combine international law-enforcement cooperation with domestic measures aimed at addressing online harms, particularly those affecting women and children.
The initiatives are expected to form part of Britain’s broader strategy for tackling organised crime and fraud between 2026 and 2031.
