The person sending that text might be a victim of human trafficking.
Behind many of those annoying scam texts is a darker reality: a victim of human trafficking. Today, millions of vulnerable people are held captive in scam compounds across Southeast Asia and are forced to carry out online fraud.
Here’s how this rapidly growing industry works.
Misleading job ads: Victims are deceived by fraudulent advertisements promising legitimate employment abroad.
Scam compounds: Victims are transported to illegal compounds and coerced into running online fraud operations.
Cyber-enabled fraud: Victims are forced to execute romance scams, crypto currency fraud, fake job offers and other schemes targeting individuals around the world.
Coercion and violence: Forced quotas, constant surveillance, violence, intimidation, and debt bondage keep victims trapped in the cycle of abuse.
The United Nations estimates that defrauded individuals suffered financial losses of up to $37 billion in 2023 alone. A high proportion of these losses are attributed to scams committed by organized crime groups located in East and Southeast Asia.
To understand this issue, here are curated resources to help you see the victims trapped behind the scam:
Listen to The Economist’s podcast Scam Inc
Watch the short documentary Scam Factory
Read the article How Chinese Mafia are Running a Scam Factory
How can you protect yourself and your loved ones from these online scams?
Here are important tips provided by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime:
Set strict privacy settings
If your social media accounts are public, then anyone can see your photos, posts, and other information. Set your accounts to ‘private’ and turn off location sharing on posts.
Beware of strange friend requests
Only accept friends or follow requests from people you know, even if you have friends in common. Traffickers have reached out to strangers to ‘chat’ via social media and then slowly work to build trust with the potential victim.
Don’t overshare
Remember that everything you put online – photos, texts, etc. – is in the public domain. You no longer have total control over how it is being seen or shared. Traffickers have used people’s photos and personal details to help them blackmail, contact, groom, or otherwise recruit and monitor victims. Never share personal information, such as your phone number, address, or live location online.
Beware of advertisements that seem too good to be true
Traffickers often use catchy language in job advertisements online, promising high wages for simple work or a chance to become a model. Traffickers will often be vague about the company’s credentials, details, or your terms of employment. If it seems too good to be true, it probably is.
Flag it, don’t share it!
Stay vigilant in the online sphere and report suspicious pages or activities to the authorities. Don’t hesitate to unfriend, block or report someone who is harassing you or talking to you in a way you don’t like. Click on the links to see how to block accounts on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, and SnapChat. Take screenshots of the messages or posts – they might be useful later for an investigation or law enforcement.
