"Workers are trafficked into heavily guarded, prison-like compounds, where they are routinely abused and tortured for failing to meet targets, or extorted for ransoms. Others take the jobs willingly, but find that they cannot repay ruinous charges for food and accommodation. Their work requires them to be connected to the outside world round the clock, yet they are too terrified to seek help because of the surveillance and violence they endure."
"Scam centres have now been identified in Serbia, Peru, Pakistan, central Africa and most recently Timor-Leste. One NGO worker told the authors of Scam that a common scenario might be a Chinese perpetrator residing in Cambodia [using] a trafficked Filipino individual to deceive a US citizen, using credit cards from Dubai for money laundering. The trafficking of Wang Xing, a Chinese actor, to Myanmar in January highlighted the brazenness of these criminals."
A Chinese court sentenced 11 people to death for roles in an illegal scam empire along the Myanmar border. The multibillion-dollar industry creates two victim groups: people cheated by romantic and business frauds and those forced to perpetrate scams. Workers are trafficked into heavily guarded, prison-like compounds where abuse, torture and ransom extortion enforce targets; others who join voluntarily become trapped by ruinous charges for food and accommodation. Many must remain connected round the clock yet cannot seek help because of surveillance and violence. Forced-online-scam reports began in 2018; UN estimates cite about 120,000 in Myanmar and 100,000 in Cambodia.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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