<
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-09-16/cambodia-human-trafficking-online-scam-pig-butchering/101407862>
'Vietnamese teenager Nguyễn Thiên Kai moved to Cambodia after she was promised
a high salary for teaching people how to play online games.
But once she crossed the border, she was sent into a basement and instructed to
scam people.
The 19-year-old realised she had been tricked.
"I had hidden my phone and managed to text my family to let them know what
happened. But then the boss saw my phone and took it," she said.
"He read the texts to my family telling them to call the police, and he beat me
and sold me to another organisation.
"It was terrifying. It was hell on Earth."
Ms Nguyễn is one of thousands of people across Asia who have been trafficked to
Cambodia and forced to carry out online scams in a shadowy industry estimated
to be worth millions.
Many victims were confined in casinos or dystopian compounds surrounded by
thick coils of barbed wire, some of which have been linked to members of the
Cambodian elite, according to extensive investigations carried out by local
media outlet VOD as well as international news organisations such as
Al
Jazeera and
ProPublica.
Not all scammers are victims of human trafficking in this murky scheme, but the
reports found the vast web of criminality has netted unsuspecting workers from
Taiwan, Indonesia, Vietnam, Malaysia, Thailand and conflict-riddled Myanmar.
The reports also found cyber scam compounds were largely run by Chinese
criminal syndicates and the sophisticated online schemes have targeted people
in China, the United States and Australia.'
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
