Some scammers are victims themselves

When you’ve been scammed out of thousands of dollars, it’s hard to feel any sympathy for the scammer. But many of the people making scam phone calls or sending scam texts are themselves victims of kidnapping or human trafficking. Consider these recent headlines from papers across the globe:

• “Japan nationals freed from forced work for scammers in Myanmar.”
• “Over 29,000 Indians missing in SE Asia; trapped in cyber slavery.”
• “Families Demand Rescue of Indonesians Trapped and Tortured in Myanmar Online Scams.”
• “Thai police to establish centre to combat Myanmar scam gangs.”

Note the repeated references to countries in Asia and in particular to Myanmar, a nation formerly known as Burma that borders India, Bangladesh, China, Laos and Thailand. Reports from the Council on Foreign Relations (“How Myanmar Became a Global Center for Cyber Scams”) and the United States Institute of Peace (USIP) say call centers in these countries are staffed by hundreds of thousands of people who have been trafficked or lured in by fraudulent ads for lucrative high-tech jobs. They’re often forced to work in inhumane and abusive conditions.

The organizations running scam centers are often groups jockeying for control of a country or region. Myanmar is under military rule and the USIP report says much of the $43 billion derived from scam operations there flows to the military and to the ruling elites in Cambodia and Laos.

USIP goes on to say “…these criminal networks have expanded to the point that they now directly threaten human security globally while posing a growing threat to the national security of the United States and many of its allies and partners around the world.” The U.S. government has warned Americans of the dangers of being trafficked into Southeast Asian scam syndicates. It’s participated in multi-nation taskforces to shut down the scam call centers.

An Indonesian newspaper told the story of a young man who flew to Thailand for a job that promised a lucrative salary as a cryptocurrency administrator, but was forcibly taken to Myanmar where victims like him are forced to participate in romance, fake investments, and other online scams. He was confined to the building he worked in and forbidden to leave without special access that was rarely granted. He was paid very little and said, “I faced threats, physical abuse, and unreasonable fines. It was like living in a prison.” After five months, he managed to contact his family and Indonesian authorities got him freed.

Scams originating in Asian call centers are a relatively new phenomenon compared to other parts of the world. Many scams originate in China, Russia and Ukraine. Authorities regularly bust scam call centers in India and lottery and sweepstakes scams are a specialty of crooks in Jamaica.

One of the oldest scams is the Nigerian Letter scam, although it may have originated in Spain hundreds of years ago. Victims are tricked into paying money and/or providing bank account or other sensitive information with promises of riches.