Over 7,000 people freed from cyberscam compounds in Myanmar are now trapped in dirty and dangerous detention centers, waiting for their home countries to rescue them.
From AP:
The trapped people, some of whom are highly educated and fluent in English, were initially lured to Thailand with promises of lucrative office jobs, only to find themselves locked in buildings where they describe being forced to sit at computers up to 16 hours a day running scams. Refusing to work could bring beatings, starvation and electric shocks.
"Your passport is confiscated, you cannot go outside and everything is like hell, a living hell," a trapped Pakistani man told The Associated Press.
"If we die here with health issues, who is responsible for that?" asked one Indian detainee who spoke to AP on condition of anonymity. He described 800 people sharing just 10 dirty toilets, with many suffering from fever and coughs. Photos obtained by AP show masses of people squatting shoulder-to-shoulder, their faces covered with surgical masks.
The freed workers represent just a fraction of an estimated 300,000 people trapped in similar scam operations across Southeast Asia. The United Nations estimates these cyber scams cost victims in Asia alone between $18-37 billion in 2023.
The crime bosses haven't been arrested.
From AP:
In this crackdown, there have been no major prosecutions or compounds shut down.
"This doesn't affect anything," said a 23-year-old Pakistani man who had hoped to be freed only to be trapped in an army camp. The bosses, he said, are "rich as hell" and can buy anything they need to keep the lucrative operations going. Meanwhile, he said, conditions are worsening.
"My friends are in really bad condition, we can't survive here," he said, requesting anonymity out of fear for retribution from his guards. He asks a question that's been haunting him day in and day out for weeks: "Is anyone coming for us?"
Previously:
• Father of 2 young boys loses $5 million after falling for terrifying new Google scam
• YouTuber uses worthless currency to trick notorious Paris street scammers
• Interview with a cryptocurrency scammer
