India and Quad Partners Vow to Dismantle Scam Centres That Steal Tens of Billions a Year
India and its Quad partners, the US, Australia and Japan, have committed to dismantling the scam centres that steal tens of billions of dollars a year from their citizens and to hold the criminal groups behind them accountable, after the foreign ministers met in Atlanta on 31 October. A day before the US Embassy highlighted the pledge, India's Embassy in Myanmar said 2,533 Indians have been repatriated from scam centres since July 2022.
India and its Quad partners, the United States, Australia and Japan, have committed to dismantling the scam centres that they say steal "tens of billions of dollars annually" from their citizens, and to holding the criminal groups behind them accountable. External Affairs Minister Dr S. Jaishankar signed up to the pledge at the Quad Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Atlanta, Georgia, on 31 October 2026. The US Embassy in Australia highlighted the commitment on X on 2 November.
What the Quad Agreed
The Quad Joint Press Release on Economic Prosperity and Security was issued jointly by the External Affairs Minister of India, the US Secretary of State and the Foreign Ministers of Australia and Japan. On scams, it says the ministers:
- Raised the alarm: they expressed "deep concern about the proliferation of online and cyber scams that pose a threat to national and international peace and security".
- Named the crime: they condemned "the criminal groups running the scam operations and trafficking people and forcing them to defraud our citizens, stealing tens of billions of dollars annually of hard-earned wealth from our respective countries".
- Made a commitment: "The Quad countries committed to dismantling these operations and holding transnational criminal groups and their leaders accountable."
The same statement notes that Quad Cyber Senior Officials met in October and pledged to keep supporting "a trusted and resilient cybersecurity environment in the Indo-Pacific region".
According to Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the meeting lasted about 40 minutes and was held on the sidelines of the G20 Foreign Ministers' Meeting. The participants were Dr S. Jaishankar, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong and Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi.
What the US Embassy Said
The US Embassy in Australia posted on X on 2 November 2026 at 12:04 IST:
"Scam centers steal tens of billions of dollars a year from our citizens. Through the Quad, the U.S., Australia, India and Japan are committed to dismantling them and holding the criminal groups behind them accountable."
India's Ongoing Rescue Work in Myanmar
Indians are hit twice by these networks: as targets of the scams, and as job-seekers trafficked into the compounds. A day before the US Embassy post, the Embassy of India in Myanmar reported more rescues from scam centres in Myawaddy, near the Thai border.
On 1 November 2026, the Embassy said three more Indian nationals rescued from Myawaddy-based cyber scam centres had been repatriated through Yangon, "with the assistance of concerned Union and local Myanmar authorities". That brings the number of Indians repatriated since July 2022 to 2,533.
- Priority: the Embassy said the "release and return of entrapped Indian nationals from Myawaddy scam centres remains our key priority".
- Help line: people in distress and their families can contact the Embassy's emergency number +95 95419602 or email [email protected].
- Advisory: the Embassy repeated its standing advice not to take up such job offers without first consulting the Indian Mission in the country concerned.
Media report: IANS quoted the Embassy on 2 January 2026 as putting the total at 2,171 since July 2022. If both figures are correct, more than 360 more Indians have been brought back from Myanmar this year.
Why It Matters for India
The Quad statement describes the same model that has trapped Indian job-seekers. Workers are trafficked into scam compounds and forced to defraud people, including citizens of the four Quad countries. Each Indian rescued from Myawaddy is a victim of the networks the Quad has now pledged to dismantle.
Advice for Job-Seekers
- Treat well-paid overseas job offers in Southeast Asia with caution, especially those that come through social media or unregistered agents.
- Check the employer and recruiter with the Indian Mission in that country before you travel.
- If you or a family member is trapped in Myanmar, call +95 95419602 or email [email protected].
Source: Quad Joint Press Release on Economic Prosperity and Security, US Department of State, 31 October 2026; US Embassy Australia on X, 2 November 2026; Embassy of India in Myanmar on X, 1 November 2026.