Sri Lanka – hotspot for foreign-linked online scam centers By Arundathie Abeysinghe
Sri Lanka has emerged as a “growing hotspot for foreign-linked online fraud operations” with authorities reporting a sharp increase in cybercrime networks operated by foreign nationals across the island which has raised serious concerns among authorities and stakeholders, who warn that these activities are not only undermining national security, but also damaging Sri Lanka’s international reputation. The presence of these networks could negatively impact the economy by diverting potential tourism revenue and financial inflows back to foreign criminal operations.
As revealed at a recent media briefing, Sampath Perera, Chairperson of Sri Lanka Institute of National Tourist Guide Lecturers “the increasing presence of foreign-linked scam networks has coincided with one of the most serious digital financial security incidents in Sri Lanka’s history.”
Meanwhile, a special unit within the Department of Immigration and Emigration is currently carrying out arrests related to foreigners violating visa conditions and alerting relevant police stations island wide to conduct raids regarding such violations. The government is maintaining a firm stance against illegal activities involving foreigners in Sri Lanka.
According to lawyers Sandesha Amarasekara and Udaya Serasinghe “the offenders will be prosecuted under Sri Lanka’s Cybercrimes Act (Sri Lanka Computer Crime Act No 24 of 2007) and will not be immediately deported or allowed to leave the country. During the first half of 2026, a series of coordinated raids across several locations has led to the arrest of over hundreds of foreign nationals involved in illegal financial operations and online scams.”
‘Recently, operations were carried out in Rajagiriya, a suburb of Colombo and the police raided a multi-storey apartment complex along Meda Welikada Road. During the raid, approximately 120 foreign nationals were taken into custody. The suspects were nationals from several countries, including Cambodia, China, Malaysia, Madagascar, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam. They had occupied several floors of the apartment complex to carry out illegal financial activities. During the raid, authorities seized several laptops and mobile phones that are currently undergoing forensic examination as part of the ongoing investigations. The suspects had converted rented spaces into both living quarters and operational hubs. These suspects had been involved in siphoning money from international accounts and carrying out illegal fund transfers, often using the tourism sector as a cover. Although, the police arrested approximately 120 suspects during the Rajagiriya raid, several others managed to escape before the operation was concluded. Currently, investigations are underway to locate those individuals.”
According to senior police officers, “on May 2, a separate raid was carried out in Talangama, a suburb of Colombo and 37 foreign nationals, including one woman were arrested on suspicion of involvement in computer-related crimes. The raid was conducted by officers from the Walana Central Anti-Corruption Strike Force along with Talangama Police. The suspects were identified as Chinese nationals aged between 23-44 and were taken into custody and produced before the Talangama Police Station. As revealed during investigations, two individuals were residing in the country without valid visas, whereas another did not possess a valid passport.”
In March, a joint operation conducted by military intelligence and immigration authorities in Anuradhapura and Mihintale in Northwestern Province led to the arrest of 134 foreign nationals operating from several guest houses, followed by another major raid in April in Chilaw (Northwestern Province), where more than 150 suspects were detained for allegedly running a cyber-scam operation from a rented hotel. During that raid, police recovered over 140 laptops and approximately 400 mobile phones that have been used in global online scams. Similar such networks had been carried out in several areas in the country, including Katunayaka, Negombo and Wattala in Gampaha District and Baddegama in Galle District.
