Forced scamming

Rachel Hemphill and Ben McMechan from International Justice Mission (IJM) highlight the little-known crime of ‘forced scamming’, one of the fastest growing forms of modern slavery in the world.

I’m sure you’re no stranger to scam messages – we’ve all received the texts, calls and emails trying to deceive us. Often pretending to be a company or person you know and trust, convincing you to send your personal information or engage in conversation. It can be really challenging to identify fraud and keep yourself safe. It’s no surprise that these scams generate billions of US dollars each year. Like me, you may have noticed these are only becoming more frequent.

But have you ever considered that the person scamming you could be trapped in slavery, unable to escape? In the past year, forced scamming has emerged as one of the fastest growing forms of modern slavery in the world. Criminal networks are tricking and trafficking people, trapping them in heavily-guarded compounds and forcing them to scam people like you and me across the world –including people in the UK and Ireland. Victims are made to commit this crime against their will, under the threat of extreme violence, even electrocution.

Trafficking, slavery and forced labour aren’t new crimes. But being held against your will and forced to scam people for their money is.

This nightmare is a reality for thousands of people like Miracle*. Just like many of us, Miracle was working to save for her retirement. In search of a new job, Miracle accepted a role that looked like a perfect fit. She was excited to move from her home in Indonesia for the role in Cambodia.

Criminal networks are tricking and trafficking people, trapping them in heavily-guarded compounds and forcing them to scam people…

Imagine Miracle’s horror when she arrived and discovered that the job had never existed. Imagine the panic she felt when she realised that she was trapped. Instead of the job she’d accepted, Miracle was forced to commit the crime of scamming people. She had to create false profiles on social media sites and convince people around the world to invest their money in cryptocurrency scams. Miracle would work for up to 20 hours a day, six days a week. Disobeying orders was high risk. She says, “The supervisor electrocuted one of my colleagues after making a mistake. I wanted to save him, but I could not do anything.”

Other survivors like Yaza* share stories of being tortured and beaten by the traffickers. Yaza started to lose all hope, believing he would never see his family again: “I did not think I would ever be able to leave, so I tried to jump off the building, but friends stopped me. Two others jumped and died,” he says.

Miracle was determined to escape. Using a phone she’d hidden under her bed, she managed to make a secret phone call to her brother, who contacted a UN agency. This referral was passed to International Justice Mission (IJM), which partnered with local authorities to bring Miracle to safety.

“When I managed to get out with other trafficked victims from the compound, I understood the real meaning of freedom,” she remembers.

With IJM’s support, Miracle returned home safely to Indonesia and found the strength to testify in court. Thanks to the survivors’ testimonies and legal support, the traffickers were sentenced to several years in prison. One trafficker was also ordered to pay compensation to the survivors.

“It was a miracle for me. I am forever grateful. I could not imagine what would have happened if the police came too late,” Miracle reflects.

IJM has brought over 100 people like Miracle to safety from scamming compounds, and hundreds more have received repatriation, legal and psychosocial support.

A recent UN report suggests that Miracle is one of hundreds of thousands of people from around the world who have been trafficked to South East Asia for forced scamming. Human trafficking has long been a problem in South East Asia and around the world, but in the case of forced scamming, traffickers are often looking for a different kind of victim. Given the skills required to scam online, traffickers are targeting welleducated and computer literate people, who speak multiple languages. Fake but convincing job adverts will often advertise jobs in marketing or sales, to attract recently graduated young adults.

So far, victims have been trafficked from over 35 countries, including the UK. This crime is growing, with satellite technology showing that new scamming centres continue to be built every week. In June 2023, Interpol issued a rare ‘orange’ warning, describing forced scamming as a ‘global human trafficking crisis’ and a ‘global threat to public safety’. It’s a crime that impacts us all – with people in places like the UK and Ireland losing thousands to successful scams.

This is a serious issue, and it’s showing no signs of slowing down.

However, Miracle’s story is testament to the fact that hope exists. This crime is brutal and devastating, but it can be stopped. For every individual who has been tricked and trapped, freedom is still within reach – if we act.

IJM is one of the first organisations in the world working to stop this crime. IJM staff in Cambodia, Thailand, Myanmar, Philippines, Indonesia and Malaysia are working with governments and foreign embassies to help bring victims like Miracle to safety. To protect people from being exploited in the first place, IJM is working alongside legal bodies to hold traffickers to account for their crimes.

Together with partners, so far IJM has brought over 100 people like Miracle to safety from scamming compounds, and hundreds more have received repatriation, legal and psychosocial support.

IJM is determined to see forced scamming stopped in its tracks, but we can’t do it alone. This work is only made possible through the support and prayers of people like you. For Miracle, Yaza and thousands of other people trapped in these compounds, it feels like all hope is lost. Yet, in the face of this brutal crime, there is still hope for change – if we choose to fight for it.

Will you join the movement and donate now, giving to see an end to forced scamming?

All gifts from new donors will be matched by an extra 50%, at no additional cost to you. Give now at IJMUK.org/stop/forcedscamming

Rachel Hemphill is IJM’s NI church and community mobilisation assistant and Ben McMechan is IJM’s Northern Ireland lead.

* Names have been changed. To protect IJM survivors, images have been used that obscure their identities.