A Malaysian man who responded to a job posting on Facebook reportedly fell victim to a human trafficking syndicate that forced him to engage in crypto scams.
CBC reports that the man, identified only as John to protect his identity, responded to a post on a Facebook group promoting a purported customer service job at a Cambodian casino.
After losing his job during the Covid-19 pandemic, the employer offered to fly John from Thailand, where he was based, to Sihanoukville, a coastal city in Cambodia, with all expenses paid.
But when he arrived, the alleged employer confiscated his passport and locked him on the fourth floor of a compound, where he was held with other prisoners for four months.
John, who speaks three languages, says he was forced to target Canadians and other English-speaking Westerners because of a crypto scam known as pig slaughter. The scheme involves scammers building relationships with their potential victims to gain their trust and get them to invest their money in crypto assets.
John started conversations with strangers online and convinced them to make shady crypto investments. It was expected to attract 15 new targets per day.
“We [were] always on the fourth floor to eat, work, sleep, shower. Once you get into the scam complex, it could be your life – away.”
He says the traffickers beat or gave them electric shocks if they didn’t follow the rules.
John tried to escape by asking for help through an online messaging app on his phone, but he was caught and sold to another scam company for $11,000.
At the new company, John tried again to call for help through a fake account on social media platform X. He contacted the International Justice Mission (IJM), a nonprofit organization that aims to protect people from human trafficking and modern slavery. .
Jake Sims, IJM’s country director for Cambodia, worked with authorities to rescue him.
Sims says John is an ideal target for human traffickers.
“Your typical profile is someone who probably speaks a few languages, has a university education and is probably quite savvy with technology and with social media.
They are out of work, they are looking for high-risk jobs, so they are desperate.”
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