Recently the Myanmar military raided KK Park, one of the most well-known scam compounds at the Thai border. Sadly, only one of many. Troops demolished some of the structures that make up the huge compound and the government declared it closed. But the leaders fled and disappeared into the jungle along with approx. 1,500 laborers. It’s likely many of those are victims of a scam themselves. Lured in with false promises and then trapped in forced labor.  

A global crime wave with victims on both sides of the screen

Online scammers have robbed victims around the world out of billions of dollars, according to a recent United Nations report. Using false romantic ploys, bogus investment pitches and illegal gambling schemes they lure victims to send money by convincing them of the sincerity of their offers. But evidence shows that behind the computer screen, there is often another victim. One who fell for the offer of a good job but found themselves instead forced under threat of violence to scam.  

According to ABC, a 2023 Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights reported: 

It’s estimated that at least 120,000 people across Myanmar may be held in situations where they are forced to work on online scams, with another 100,000 people in Cambodia.

And just like the scams they run, the criminal masterminds don’t discriminate against who they traffic. After this latest raid, forced labor victims from India, China, Philippines, Vietnam, Ethiopia and Kenya, and other countries made their way to support centers across the Thai border. Around 50 South Koreans were repatriated from Cambodia recently, another scam location hotbed.   

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