Thousands of people across Europe and the U.S. have been falling prey to cyber-scams. Lured in under the false pretenses of romance they are swindled out of thousands of dollars. But many of those doing the scamming are themselves victims of a type of human trafficking called cyber-slavery. The New York Times reports it’s not just scamming taking place at hidden compounds dotting the deep jungles of Asia. They are often staffed by trafficked workers who were promised a real job but now labor under the threat of severe beatings, electric shock and worse with little to no way to escape.  

Pig butchering on a fraud farm 

Cyber-scams can take many forms, but the most lucrative is pig butchering. With pig butchering, fraudsters gain their victim’s trust under the auspices of romance or friendship (the fattening of a hog). Then, once the victim trusts them enough, the scammer defrauds them (the slaughter) through fake investment schemes using seemingly legitimate apps.  

It takes time, but the payoffs can be big. In 2023, American’s alone lost $652 million. John Wojcik, regional analyst at the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime stated: 

“Cyber-enabled fraud perpetrated by powerful transnational criminal networks has evolved into a thriving multibillion-dollar illicit industry that now exceeds the G.D.P. of several countries in Southeast Asia combined,” 

But with this type of scam, there are often two victims.

Jalil Muyeke from Uganda is among the hundreds of thousands of these lesser-known victims. But his traffickers didn’t use false romance to drain his bank account. Instead, Muyeke says he was kidnapped and lost seven months of his life, trapped in Myanmar and forced to scam others. For many, the stolen time and abuse goes on much longer.  

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