BBC recently made contact via Telegram with two foreign men trapped inside a scam compound in Myanmar’s Kayin State, using the pseudonyms Mr. A and Mr. B. Both men were lured in by false promises of high-paying jobs, but the moment they landed, their phones were confiscated and they were forced to sit at computers every day running online scams targeting people in Europe. Living in constant fear, they face the threat of beatings whenever they miss a target, as well as being repeatedly bought and sold between different syndicates.
Mr. A told reporters that he is essentially a victim of human trafficking. He tried to make a break for it once when he saw a chance, but he was caught and brought back before brokers resold him to his current bosses. Mr. B’s situation is just as grim. He said physical punishment is a daily routine if they fail to hit their scam quotas: slaps, kicks, standing out under the blazing sun for hours, and even being locked away in pitch-black solitary confinement.
Local media report that although the Myanmar military launched a crackdown on scam compounds around Myawaddy starting last October and repatriated over 10,000 foreigners, civil society groups point out that several thousand people remain trapped inside the compounds, making rescue efforts extremely difficult. A young Ethiopian man who was lucky enough to escape previously said that the trauma he suffered in that hellhole still haunts him physically and mentally to this day.
