![]() Speaking at a forum last week, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen pledged to take action. ![]() “They were trafficked or transferred from one group to another, without the consent of the parties, and in some cases, they faced violence and other threats if they did not follow the orders of the criminals,” the interior ministry said in a statement. Underpinning the industry are trafficked people, estimated at tens of thousands, who are trapped in what a UN independent expert described as a “living hell.” Sok Phal, a top official from the interior ministry, last week put the number of foreign workers recruited into what he called “illegal gambling,” a euphemism for the scam industry, as high as 100,000.Īfter downplaying the issue for months, Cambodian authorities acknowledged in August that a large number of foreigners have been deceived by criminal gangs and illegally entered the country, where they became victims of human trafficking. Another victim lost over $1 million in a similar timeframe. ![]() victim, a terminally ill cancer patient, who lost $2.5 million over two months. The total number of victims around the world is much higher and many go unreported, as victims fear being stigmatized. GASO alone represents nearly 2,000 people in 46 countries that have fallen victim to this type of online fraud, on average losing about $169,000 each. Victims on both ends of the scam-people trafficked to work in the industry and those they scam of their money abroad-stretch into the thousands. Media reports published in recent months, including a July investigation by VICE World News, have exposed the shocking scale of the scam industry that has taken hold in Cambodia, as well as pockets of Laos and Myanmar. Maybe that’s why they didn’t ask us ,” Sid said. Though he has tried to approach officers that stood guard outside the cell, he has been ignored. He’s personally not been asked to pay, but he also hasn’t been told why he is detained and when he can leave. The volunteer-run group has been coordinating rescue operations for trafficking victims and workers wishing to escape these scam compounds since last June. This apparent extortion by local authorities is an example of the corruption that has hindered efforts to tackle the industry, said Sammy Chen, an adviser with the anti-human trafficking division of the Global Anti-Scam Organization (GASO). VICE World News spoke with five people currently held in Cambodian detention centers, as well as groups attempting to assist them, and heard that many are being instructed to pay nebulous “fees” that stretch into the thousands of dollars in order to buy food, receive bedding, access their phone, and secure their own release. But a growing number of workers, including Sid, now find themselves in another nightmare: trapped, extorted, and enduring abysmal conditions at the hands of the very authorities who claim to have rescued them. Hundreds of trafficking victims have returned home in recent months with assistance from volunteers and foreign governments, as the industry has come under mounting international scrutiny. Others, like Sid, have managed to break free after friends and family petitioned authorities on their behalf. Workers face beatings if they don’t comply and are asked to pay hefty ransoms, sometimes in the name of “recruitment fees,” to free themselves. “We don’t know when they will release us and how long we can survive here.” “We are in very bad condition, both mentally and physically,” Sid said. VICE World News has seen photos and videos showing these conditions but are unable to independently confirm the dates and place they were taken. Unable to pay, Sid said he and other detainees are sleeping on the floor surrounded by trash in the stifling heat. ![]() They asked for $300 to provide a bed and another $100 for a fan during his stay. Sid said officers in the facility have confiscated his main phone and demanded $400 for its return. This article uses pseudonyms for all current detainees and withheld their location to prevent retaliation by authorities. Still in custody, he spoke to VICE World News from a detention facility using a secret spare phone. But instead of treating him as a victim and allowing him to go free or leave the country, Cambodian authorities have put him in an overcrowded cell with two dozen other men, he said, while officers try to extract money from them. Sid was duped and held against his will for months by the scam group under threat of violence. I thought I was redeemed,” Sid told VICE World News. “I was so happy when they came to the rescue. ![]()
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