{"id":38856,"date":"2026-05-17T12:55:00","date_gmt":"2026-05-17T04:55:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/multimetro.hk\/plus\/2026\/05\/17\/crackdown-in-southeast-asia-pushes-scam-networks-to-sri-lanka\/"},"modified":"2026-05-19T06:01:35","modified_gmt":"2026-05-18T22:01:35","slug":"crackdown-in-southeast-asia-pushes-scam-networks-to-sri-lanka","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/multimetro.hk\/plus\/2026\/05\/17\/crackdown-in-southeast-asia-pushes-scam-networks-to-sri-lanka\/","title":{"rendered":"Crackdown in Southeast Asia pushes scam networks to Sri Lanka"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>A surge in arrests of suspected foreign scammers in Sri Lanka has authorities concerned that the island is fast becoming a hub for online crime, following sweeping crackdowns in hotspots Cambodia and Myanmar.<br \/>Officials say some scam networks forced out of countries in Southeast Asia have simply shifted to new bases, increasingly moving operations to Sri Lanka &#8211; an attractive destination due to a relaxed visa regime and reliable, high-speed internet.<br \/>Since the start of the year, police have arrested more than 1,000 foreigners, mainly from China, Vietnam and India, for alleged involvement in cybercrime, spokesman Fredrick Wootler said, a jump from 430 for the entirety of 2024 and even fewer last year.<br \/>Last month, Sri Lankan customs officials intercepted nine Chinese nationals attempting to smuggle used mobile phones and laptops in the hundreds, raising suspicion they were to be used in large-scale fraud operations.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A surge in arrests of suspected foreign scammers in Sri Lanka has authorities concerned that the island is fast becoming a hub for online crime, following sweeping crackdowns in hotspots Cambodia and Myanmar.Officials say some scam networks forced out of countries in Southeast Asia have simply shifted to new bases, increasingly moving operations to Sri [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-38856","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.7 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Crackdown in Southeast Asia pushes scam networks to Sri Lanka - Metro Plus<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/multimetro.hk\/plus\/2026\/05\/17\/crackdown-in-southeast-asia-pushes-scam-networks-to-sri-lanka\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Crackdown in Southeast Asia pushes scam networks to Sri Lanka - Metro Plus\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"A surge in arrests of suspected foreign scammers in Sri Lanka has authorities concerned that the island is fast becoming a hub for online crime, following sweeping crackdowns in hotspots Cambodia and Myanmar.Officials say some scam networks forced out of countries in Southeast Asia have simply shifted to new bases, increasingly moving operations to Sri [&hellip;]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/multimetro.hk\/plus\/2026\/05\/17\/crackdown-in-southeast-asia-pushes-scam-networks-to-sri-lanka\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Metro Plus\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-05-17T04:55:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-05-18T22:01:35+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Metro Admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Metro Admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"1 minute\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/multimetro.hk\\\/plus\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/17\\\/crackdown-in-southeast-asia-pushes-scam-networks-to-sri-lanka\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/multimetro.hk\\\/plus\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/17\\\/crackdown-in-southeast-asia-pushes-scam-networks-to-sri-lanka\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Metro Admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/multimetro.hk\\\/plus\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/6bbe2f487494b6f04d542440127c7895\"},\"headline\":\"Crackdown in Southeast Asia pushes scam networks to Sri Lanka\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-05-17T04:55:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-05-18T22:01:35+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/multimetro.hk\\\/plus\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/17\\\/crackdown-in-southeast-asia-pushes-scam-networks-to-sri-lanka\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":152,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/multimetro.hk\\\/plus\\\/#organization\"},\"articleSection\":[\"News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/multimetro.hk\\\/plus\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/17\\\/crackdown-in-southeast-asia-pushes-scam-networks-to-sri-lanka\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/multimetro.hk\\\/plus\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/17\\\/crackdown-in-southeast-asia-pushes-scam-networks-to-sri-lanka\\\/\",\"name\":\"Crackdown in Southeast Asia pushes scam networks to Sri Lanka - Metro Plus\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/multimetro.hk\\\/plus\\\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2026-05-17T04:55:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-05-18T22:01:35+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/multimetro.hk\\\/plus\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/17\\\/crackdown-in-southeast-asia-pushes-scam-networks-to-sri-lanka\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/multimetro.hk\\\/plus\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/17\\\/crackdown-in-southeast-asia-pushes-scam-networks-to-sri-lanka\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/multimetro.hk\\\/plus\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/17\\\/crackdown-in-southeast-asia-pushes-scam-networks-to-sri-lanka\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/multimetro.hk\\\/plus\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Crackdown in Southeast Asia pushes scam networks to Sri Lanka\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/multimetro.hk\\\/plus\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/multimetro.hk\\\/plus\\\/\",\"name\":\"Metro Plus\",\"description\":\"Metro Plus\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/multimetro.hk\\\/plus\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/multimetro.hk\\\/plus\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/multimetro.hk\\\/plus\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Metro Plus\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/multimetro.hk\\\/plus\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/multimetro.hk\\\/plus\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/multimetro.hk\\\/plus\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2022\\\/09\\\/cropped-metroplus1044.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/multimetro.hk\\\/plus\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2022\\\/09\\\/cropped-metroplus1044.png\",\"width\":240,\"height\":169,\"caption\":\"Metro Plus\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/multimetro.hk\\\/plus\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/multimetro.hk\\\/plus\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/6bbe2f487494b6f04d542440127c7895\",\"name\":\"Metro Admin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/406741887e2b499d9f2b2d4de7792c34f5c1bdcb01722828c2466332139b8510?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/406741887e2b499d9f2b2d4de7792c34f5c1bdcb01722828c2466332139b8510?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/406741887e2b499d9f2b2d4de7792c34f5c1bdcb01722828c2466332139b8510?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Metro Admin\"},\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/multimetro.hk\\\/plus\\\/author\\\/metroadmin\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Crackdown in Southeast Asia pushes scam networks to Sri Lanka - Metro Plus","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/multimetro.hk\/plus\/2026\/05\/17\/crackdown-in-southeast-asia-pushes-scam-networks-to-sri-lanka\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Crackdown in Southeast Asia pushes scam networks to Sri Lanka - Metro Plus","og_description":"A surge in arrests of suspected foreign scammers in Sri Lanka has authorities concerned that the island is fast becoming a hub for online crime, following sweeping crackdowns in hotspots Cambodia and Myanmar.Officials say some scam networks forced out of countries in Southeast Asia have simply shifted to new bases, increasingly moving operations to Sri [&hellip;]","og_url":"https:\/\/multimetro.hk\/plus\/2026\/05\/17\/crackdown-in-southeast-asia-pushes-scam-networks-to-sri-lanka\/","og_site_name":"Metro Plus","article_published_time":"2026-05-17T04:55:00+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-05-18T22:01:35+00:00","author":"Metro Admin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Metro Admin","Est. reading time":"1 minute"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/multimetro.hk\/plus\/2026\/05\/17\/crackdown-in-southeast-asia-pushes-scam-networks-to-sri-lanka\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/multimetro.hk\/plus\/2026\/05\/17\/crackdown-in-southeast-asia-pushes-scam-networks-to-sri-lanka\/"},"author":{"name":"Metro Admin","@id":"https:\/\/multimetro.hk\/plus\/#\/schema\/person\/6bbe2f487494b6f04d542440127c7895"},"headline":"Crackdown in Southeast Asia pushes scam networks to Sri Lanka","datePublished":"2026-05-17T04:55:00+00:00","dateModified":"2026-05-18T22:01:35+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/multimetro.hk\/plus\/2026\/05\/17\/crackdown-in-southeast-asia-pushes-scam-networks-to-sri-lanka\/"},"wordCount":152,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/multimetro.hk\/plus\/#organization"},"articleSection":["News"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/multimetro.hk\/plus\/2026\/05\/17\/crackdown-in-southeast-asia-pushes-scam-networks-to-sri-lanka\/","url":"https:\/\/multimetro.hk\/plus\/2026\/05\/17\/crackdown-in-southeast-asia-pushes-scam-networks-to-sri-lanka\/","name":"Crackdown in Southeast Asia pushes scam networks to Sri Lanka - Metro Plus","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/multimetro.hk\/plus\/#website"},"datePublished":"2026-05-17T04:55:00+00:00","dateModified":"2026-05-18T22:01:35+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/multimetro.hk\/plus\/2026\/05\/17\/crackdown-in-southeast-asia-pushes-scam-networks-to-sri-lanka\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/multimetro.hk\/plus\/2026\/05\/17\/crackdown-in-southeast-asia-pushes-scam-networks-to-sri-lanka\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/multimetro.hk\/plus\/2026\/05\/17\/crackdown-in-southeast-asia-pushes-scam-networks-to-sri-lanka\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/multimetro.hk\/plus\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Crackdown in Southeast Asia pushes scam networks to Sri Lanka"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/multimetro.hk\/plus\/#website","url":"https:\/\/multimetro.hk\/plus\/","name":"Metro Plus","description":"Metro Plus","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/multimetro.hk\/plus\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/multimetro.hk\/plus\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/multimetro.hk\/plus\/#organization","name":"Metro Plus","url":"https:\/\/multimetro.hk\/plus\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/multimetro.hk\/plus\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/multimetro.hk\/plus\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/cropped-metroplus1044.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/multimetro.hk\/plus\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/cropped-metroplus1044.png","width":240,"height":169,"caption":"Metro Plus"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/multimetro.hk\/plus\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/multimetro.hk\/plus\/#\/schema\/person\/6bbe2f487494b6f04d542440127c7895","name":"Metro Admin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/406741887e2b499d9f2b2d4de7792c34f5c1bdcb01722828c2466332139b8510?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/406741887e2b499d9f2b2d4de7792c34f5c1bdcb01722828c2466332139b8510?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/406741887e2b499d9f2b2d4de7792c34f5c1bdcb01722828c2466332139b8510?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Metro Admin"},"url":"https:\/\/multimetro.hk\/plus\/author\/metroadmin\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/multimetro.hk\/plus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38856","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/multimetro.hk\/plus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/multimetro.hk\/plus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/multimetro.hk\/plus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/multimetro.hk\/plus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=38856"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/multimetro.hk\/plus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38856\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/multimetro.hk\/plus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=38856"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/multimetro.hk\/plus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=38856"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/multimetro.hk\/plus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=38856"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}