Sri Lanka is experiencing an "alarming" surge in cybercrime after Chinese-run criminal networks, displaced by crackdowns in Southeast Asia, relocated their fraud operations to the island nation. Since the start of the year, Sri Lankan authorities have conducted more than a dozen raids, arresting and deporting nearly 700 foreign nationals — predominantly Chinese citizens — found operating scam centres under tourist visas. Experts warn that Sri Lanka's easy visa access, low office rents, limited cybercrime enforcement, and relaxed regulations on SIM cards and internet connections make it an attractive replacement hub for the transnational scam industry, which cost Americans alone an estimated $10 billion in 2024.