The United States has imposed sanctions on individuals and companies linked to international online scam networks accused of trafficking people into forced labour, following the rescue of hundreds of Kenyans from scam centres across Southeast Asia in 2026.
The sanctions target four individuals and 41 entities associated with Cambodia-based Prince Group Transnational Criminal Organization (TCO), alongside a Malaysian national accused of managing a separate scam network operating from Madagascar.
The US Embassy in Nairobi announced the measures on November 6, 2026, saying the action targets criminal organisations responsible for trafficking Kenyans and other nationals into online scam centres, where victims are forced to participate in fraudulent activities.
“Hundreds of Kenyans were rescued from scam centers in Southeast Asia in 2026,” the Embassy said, adding that the sanctions were intended to target the organisations trafficking people abroad for forced labour.
The US Treasury Department said the latest designations build on sanctions imposed in October 2025 and June 2026 against the Prince Group's leadership, affiliated companies and financial facilitators.
The newly targeted individuals and entities are accused of helping the organisation maintain its operations through offshore corporate structures, concealment of ownership and financial services that enabled it to move illicit proceeds and evade previous sanctions.
The Treasury said the Prince Group's operations have involved cryptocurrency investment fraud, romance scams and other online financial schemes targeting victims in the United States and across the world.
Many of the operations are run from large compounds in Southeast Asia, where trafficked and coerced workers are forced to deceive internet users and steal money.
The sanctions also target Chui Kok Wa, a Malaysian national accused of managing a network of scammers based in Madagascar.
According to the Treasury, the network used cryptocurrency and other digital platforms to defraud American victims of more than $400,000. Charges against Chui were unsealed in a US federal court on October 27, 2026, over an alleged conspiracy to commit wire fraud.
The latest American action comes as Kenya continues to grapple with the trafficking of citizens recruited through fraudulent overseas employment opportunities.
On May 7, 2026, Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi told the Senate Committee on Labour and Social Welfare that 406 Kenyans had been rescued from Cambodia between January and April, with 305 already repatriated.
He further disclosed that 751 Kenyans had been rescued from Myanmar between 2022 and 2026, of whom 615 had returned home. Thirty-nine remained imprisoned over illegal entry and cybercrime offences, while approximately 97 others were being held in immigration detention facilities in Thailand awaiting deportation. Another 29 Kenyans had been repatriated from Laos.
Mudavadi told Senators that trafficking networks were increasingly exploiting social media and online job platforms to lure young Kenyans with promises of lucrative employment in information technology, customer care, cryptocurrency trading and online casinos.
However, some victims are forced into romance scams, online fraud and so-called pig-butchering schemes, in which scammers build relationships with targets before manipulating them into fraudulent investment arrangements.
The government also disclosed that three Kenyans had reportedly died in scam compounds due to illness, while an expectant woman died after traffickers allegedly attempted to forcefully terminate her pregnancy.
Diaspora Affairs Principal Secretary Roseline Njogu told the committee that 87 prosecutions linked to human trafficking and illegal labour recruitment were ongoing.
The US Embassy said the latest sanctions were intended to disrupt the organisations behind the exploitation, building on more than 200 previous designations targeting criminal networks involved in scam operations and human trafficking.
Despite the growing number of rescues and repatriations, the cases highlight the continued vulnerability of Kenyans seeking employment abroad, with trafficking networks exploiting online recruitment platforms to lure victims into forced labour.
The government continues to face the challenge of dismantling the recruitment networks and securing the release of citizens still held in scam compounds and detention facilities across the region.
