Crypto fraudsters are often victims too

To Ali, it seemed like a great way to make more money. The 23-year-old earned $350 a month as a cleaner at a factory back home in Malaysia. But in April, he was reportedly offered a job in Cambodia earning four times as much working in finance, despite having no previous experience in the field.

Shortly after flying to Phnom Penh, Cambodia’s capital, Ali realized he had been tricked. His passport was taken and he was taken to a compound where he says he was trapped. Armed guards stood at the doorways to prevent him from escaping.

“I was their slave,” said Ali, whose name has been changed because he fears the syndicate he escaped from might come after him.

He slept in cramped quarters with other victims who were all forced to work 15 hours a day in an online scam factory, trying to lure people into cryptocurrency scams. They met the people they targeted through social media, as well as dating apps, and they tried to develop a friendship or romance online to gain trust. But Ali says he was such a bad swindler that he was often assaulted by his captors.

“The punishments are like during the time of the pharaohs [of ancient Egypt],” Ali said. He described being beaten across the face, arms, stomach and legs.

“I cried, I asked for help from Allah to ease my situation so that I can get out of this hell,” Ali said. “They were cruel. They beat me so hard I was dazed. They gave me black eyes.”

Victim advocacy groups say Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia are important hubs for these fraud centers because they have lawless areas.

“Money talks in these places, and they can pay off local governments,” said Elisa Warner, a communications specialist at the Global Anti-Scam Organization. Warner said the people controlling these operations are typically Chinese nationals, and the number of trafficking victims from across Asia caught inside “could be well into the tens of thousands.” Cambodia recently raided many alleged fraud centers and freed more than a thousand victims.

“It’s winning the game, but not the war,” Warner said. “We believe the operations that were raided were picked up and moved elsewhere.”

The Malaysia International Humanitarian Organization told VOA that there are likely between one and two thousand Malaysians trapped in fraudulent factories in Laos, Myanmar and Cambodia – based on information it received from current victims and some recently released.

In recent months, hundreds of Malaysian victims have flown home after escaping, been rescued or, in some cases, their families have paid tens of thousands of dollars in ransom.

“I would say it is modern slavery,” said Michael Chong, head of the Malaysian Chinese Association Complaints Department, which helps bring victims home and tries to prevent more Malaysians from falling into this trap.

While fraud and human trafficking have existed for generations, Chong said there has been a significant increase in the number of victims from Malaysia this year. They are often lured by posts on social media that promise well-paid jobs.

Chong said the syndicates are targeting Malaysia’s ethnic Chinese. Although they make up less than a quarter of Malaysia’s population, they make up more than 80 percent of the country’s victims because they often know Chinese and English.

“The more languages ​​they know, the more people they can fool,” Chong said.

Victims’ families and activists have held demonstrations to draw attention to this issue.

“We want all the victims to be freed and brought home,” said Hishamuddin Hashim, secretary-general of the Malaysia International Humanitarian Organization, which coordinated several demonstrations. “We need the international community to get more involved to put a stop to this.”

Ali said he escaped his captors in Cambodia for a short time when he was left unguarded while being transferred from one syndicate to another after being sold. He said he is lucky to have escaped after two months in captivity because many others who try to escape are killed.

Ali warns people that if a job opportunity sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

“If you get that kind of offer, don’t go,” Ali said. “I’ve been tricked so I know you shouldn’t listen to their lies.”