Trigger Warning: this article contains graphic descriptions of abuse endured by those trapped in cyber-scam compounds. 

Thousands of people were recently freed from modern slavery in Myanmar, where they were forced to work in scam centers. Annika was among those freed. In a recent interview with the BBC, she told her story of being forced to rip off internet users from around the world under threat of extreme physical violence. Her account gives a glimpse into the harsh punishments and conditions thousands have been, and many still are, being forced to endure behind the barbed wire-topped walls.  

Good job gone wrong

It began with a tip from her best friend’s husband about IT jobs on offer in Thailand. Annika previously had a good job in her home in Sri Lanka. But when the financial crisis hit, the prospect of a job that paid three times her monthly salary and included food and accommodation for six months was too good to pass up. It wasn’t until the plane landed in Myanmar instead of Thailand that Annika started to feel fear washing over her. After breezing through customs, they had a four-hour car trip into the jungle. It was then that Annika’s anxiety really kicked in when they were all handed over to gun wielding military officers who collected everyone’s cell phones. 

Annika shared: 

“The other three boys were crying, and they checked all our bags for sharp items, blades, scissors, everything. And then we say we want to go back home. So, then they say they cannot send us home because they already spent so much money on us. And for each person, they have paid $8,000.” 

It wasn’t until the next day that she found out the job they were there to do: scam vulnerable, lonely people out of money using crypto investment scams. Through tears, Annika says even now she feels like crying when she thinks of the lonely people she scammed out of thousands of dollars. Some even lost their homes due to her scams. But Annika couldn’t refuse to work; the alternative was too frightening. 

Annika said: 

“We saw when people refused, I remember one incident. He refused to work, and for about two days, they kept him inside the office itself. And then after that, he gets beaten very badly.  

Annika said the people in charge were Chinese, but the military who worked inside were from Myanmar. From what she saw, it was mostly Africans and Ethiopians being forced to work in the compound. There were also many from Asian countries, like the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Nepal, and India.

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