ZIMBABWE has emerged as a potential new frontier for industrial-scale online fraud, human trafficking and money laundering, as China-linked cyber scam syndicates reportedly shift operations out of southeast Asia, raising concern over the country’s exposure to transnational organised crime in its billion-dollar digital economy.
The warning comes as criminal networks relocate following intensified crackdowns in countries such as Cambodia, Myanmar and Laos.
A report by the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organised Crime (GI-TOC) says Africa is increasingly being targeted as a new operational hub for industrial-scale online fraud and forced labour linked to organised crime groups with Chinese connections.
The report warns that Zimbabwe’s growing digital economy, expanding gambling sector and weak cybercrime oversight could make it vulnerable to infiltration by transnational scam syndicates that have previously operated in southeast Asia, where thousands of Africans have allegedly been trafficked into forced criminal activity.
However, the Chinese embassy in Harare dismissed the report saying its government upholds an unwavering zero-tolerance policy against transnational cyber fraud, telecom fraud, money laundering and associated organised crimes.
“Such crimes gravely infringe upon personal safety, property rights and legitimate interests of people worldwide, and severely disrupt cross-border financial order and global social stability,” the embassy said.
“China has long carried out sustained and large-scale crackdowns on transnational fraud syndicates. We have enacted stringent laws to impose penalties on ringleaders, recruiters, accomplices and money-laundering facilitators of transnational scam rings.
“Regardless of perpetrators’ nationalities or whether their illegal acts are committed within or outside Chinese territory, China fully co-operates with judicial authorities worldwide to hold offenders criminally accountable to the fullest extent permitted by law. Combating transnational organised crimes including cross-border cyber fraud and human trafficking cannot be accomplished by any single country and calls for joint global efforts.”
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The embassy said, over the years, China had regular law enforcement communication channels and joint law enforcement mechanisms with dozens of countries across Asia, Africa, Europe and America.
“We have conducted multiple cross-border anti-fraud joint operations, yielding remarkable outcomes. A large number of major scam compounds have been dismantled, tens of thousands of fraud suspects of diverse nationalities have been repatriated and held accountable, illicit funds have been traced, frozen and recovered and large underground banking and money-laundering networks linked to cyber fraud have been dismantled.
“The Chinese government consistently requires Chinese citizens and enterprises operating overseas to strictly abide by local laws and regulations and conduct law-compliant business operations.
“We note that Zimbabwe permits licensed land-based casinos to operate in Harare and Victoria Falls. China is ready to deepen bilateral co-operation with Zimbabwe in tackling transnational organised crimes and to curb cross-border crimes with Zimbabwe.”
It further expressed confidence that Zimbabwean law enforcement authorities will bring criminals to justice, and lawfully safeguard legitimate basic human rights.
“Should Zimbabwean law enforcement authorities obtain conclusive evidence of illegal acts committed by Chinese nationals and share relevant case information via official diplomatic channels, China will provide full judicial assistance and take corresponding action in accordance with applicable domestic laws and bilateral treaties,” the embassy said.
However, the report also raises concern over Zimbabwe’s growing casino and gambling sector, combined with weaknesses in cybercrime monitoring and financial oversight systems.
This, it says, could expose the country to infiltration by syndicates involved in online fraud, forced criminality and money laundering.
GI-TOC notes that Zimbabwe has already featured in recruitment patterns linked to scam compounds in southeast Asia, where Africans are allegedly lured through fake job advertisements promising lucrative employment abroad.
Victims are often recruited via social media platforms such as Telegram, Facebook and WhatsApp, with offers for jobs in marketing, online customer support, cryptocurrency trading or “dating services”.
“In all of these locations, China-linked scam syndicates maintain an active presence on various Telegram channels, while associated money laundering and underground banking syndicates advertise jobs in several languages, using tactics similar to those employed in southeast Asia,” the report states.
It adds that some groups, including those linked to Madagascar, have attracted over 40 000 participants, while underground payment systems used to launder scam proceeds are operating in at least 10 jurisdictions.
The report further states that victims often have their passports confiscated upon arrival in countries such as Cambodia or Myanmar and are forced into cyber scam operations targeting people globally.
It estimates that between 10 000 and 15 000 Africans from at least 33 countries have been trafficked into scam compounds in southeast Asia, with Zimbabwe among them.
Researchers now fear that some of these networks may be attempting to establish bases directly within African countries, including Zimbabwe.
Of particular concern are reports that nearly 10 casinos linked to Chinese investors have been established in Harare over the past five years. Some facilities reportedly feature high perimeter walls and restricted access — features researchers say resemble setups previously seen in scam compounds in southeast Asia.
While no public evidence directly links Zimbabwean casinos to cyber scam activity, the report says weak regulation in gambling, cryptocurrency and underground financial systems could create conditions attractive to organised crime groups.
Zimbabwe’s growing use of digital financial platforms and cryptocurrency trading, combined with high youth unemployment, could further increase vulnerability to recruitment into online scam operations disguised as legitimate employment.
The GI-TOC report says criminal syndicates often target economically-vulnerable young people seeking jobs abroad.
Zimbabwe’s ongoing economic challenges and high levels of migration may, therefore, increase the risk of citizens being trafficked into forced criminal operations.
The report also warns that limited specialised capacity within law enforcement to detect sophisticated online fraud and money laundering networks may further compound the risk.
The findings come as African governments intensify efforts to coordinate responses to the growing threat. Earlier this year, the African Union’s Continental Operation Centre held discussions focused on combating human trafficking and cyber scam centres across Africa and southeast Asia.
The report warns that without swift action, African countries risk becoming the next global hub for industrial-scale scam centres as syndicates relocate from southeast Asia in search of weaker regulatory environments.
In Zimbabwe, experts say the challenge lies in balancing investment promotion and economic openness with stronger safeguards against organised crime infiltration into emerging sectors such as gambling, digital finance and online services.
In March, the Foreign Affairs and International Trade ministry warned Zimbabweans to exercise caution when accepting foreign job offers, citing cases of nationals being lured abroad under false pretences and subjected to exploitative conditions.
