Washington has targeted networks accused of trafficking Kenyans into online scam centres.
Washington has targeted four individuals and 41 entities linked to the Prince Group as its Nairobi embassy highlights Kenyan rescues from Southeast Asian scam centres.
Fresh US sanctions target criminal networks accused of trafficking Kenyans abroad and forcing them to run online scams. The United States Embassy in Nairobi said hundreds of Kenyans escaped such centres through rescue operations in Southeast Asia in 2026.
In a statement on Friday, November 6, the embassy linked the measures to trafficking and forced labour. It said the targeted organisations exploit Kenyans and other foreign nationals in online scam centres.
Washington announced the sanctions on Thursday, November 5, targeting four individuals and 41 entities. They have links to the Cambodia-based Prince Group Transnational Criminal Organisation, the US government said.
US sanctions target financial support networks
The State Department accused members of the Prince Group network of running sophisticated cyber-enabled fraud schemes. These operations target victims in the United States and other countries, often from large scam compounds across Southeast Asia.
The latest measures also target individuals and affiliated companies accused of continuing to support the organisation. They build on earlier sanctions imposed in October 2025 and June 2026.
Meanwhile, the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control is implementing the restrictions. Its action focuses on financial and corporate structures accused of helping sustain the network’s operations.
State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott said the Trump administration would continue pursuing networks involved in cybercrime, fraud and extortion. The government cited executive orders targeting those activities and transnational criminal organisations as the basis for its measures.
Separate Madagascar fraud case and Kenya’s trafficking risks
Separately, Washington sanctioned Malaysian national Chui Kok Wa over an alleged scam operation based in Madagascar. US authorities accused him of managing scammers who defrauded American victims, including through schemes involving digital assets.
Charges against Chui became public on October 27 in the US District Court for the District of Columbia. He faces an accusation of conspiracy to commit wire fraud.
The State Department has also documented fraudulent overseas job offers used to recruit Kenyan trafficking victims. In those cases, traffickers took Kenyans to Southeast Asia and forced them to participate in online scams.
Meanwhile, the 2025 US Trafficking in Persons Report placed Kenya in Tier 2. That category recognises significant government efforts, while indicating that Kenya does not fully meet minimum standards for eliminating human trafficking.
