Fed up with the physical abuse they faced and armed with homemade weapons, workers recently forced their way out of the Cambodian casino scam complex where they worked. Radio Free Asia reports the compound was home to an online scam operation whose owner was recently sanctioned by the U.S. due to alleged abuses related to the treatment of trafficked workers in online scam centers. 

Turning bed frames into weapons to gain freedom 

Nearly 60 foreign workers, mainly from Nepal and Pakistan had been working at O-Smach, a resort and known online scam compound in Northern Cambodia. According to the police, they were fed up with the beatings they received while working there. So, using metal rods they pulled from their bed frames, they forced their way out of one of the gates. Although their method of escape is unprecedented, the abuse the workers experienced at O-Smach comes as no surprise.  

The U.S. Treasury Department said in a statement: 

“For more than two years, from 2022 to 2024, O-Smach Resort has been investigated by police and publicly reported on for extensive and systemic serious human rights abuse,” 

Additionally, according to the same U.S. Treasury Dept. Statement, previous victims reported they were lured to O-Smach Resort by false promises of gainful employment. On arrival their phones and passports were confiscated and under threat of violence they were forced to work scam operations. 

Read more