The US Must Not Abandon Victims of Foreign Online Scam Centers | Opinion

What the report says

Biztoc linked to a Newsweek opinion article published July 21, 2026, arguing that the United States should continue supporting victims connected to foreign online scam operations. The article centers on Kenyagi, identified as a 20-year-old from Uganda, who reportedly left home in early 2025 after believing she had secured work as an English teacher in Cambodia. According to the excerpt, she was instead taken by traffickers to a scam compound called “Park 8.”

The publisher’s available text describes Park 8 as one of hundreds of confirmed scam sites, but does not provide further details about Kenyagi’s current situation, the identities of alleged traffickers, or any government response. Because the piece is labeled as opinion, its central claim is an argument rather than a reported policy announcement: that victims of these overseas scam centers should not be abandoned by the U.S. or other actors capable of assisting them.

Broader context: in recent years, governments, rights groups and law enforcement agencies have warned that some online fraud networks in Southeast Asia and elsewhere rely on trafficked workers, including foreign nationals lured by false job offers. Victims may be forced to participate in cyber-enabled scams while also being subject to confinement, threats or abuse. The issue matters because it sits at the intersection of human trafficking, transnational organized crime, online fraud and diplomatic cooperation.

The limited excerpt does not state what specific U.S. policy the opinion author wants changed or preserved. Further review of the full Newsweek article would be needed to assess the author’s recommendations and evidence.