David and Laura (not their real names) were lured by a friend to go on a free vacation to Chiang Mai, Thailand, where they were kidnapped at gunpoint and sold to a scam centre in Laukkaing, Myanmar. They were asked to sign a contract and to work as online scammers using a social media platform called Little Red Book, to scam users into buying crypto. They refused [1].
| Who's friend and who's not, When You know not... |
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| When David asked to leave, they told him and Laura, they would have to pay a ransom [1] |
After being rescued by local soldiers, David and Laura contacted their families, who sought the help of a Thai-based Malaysian businessman, Victor Wong, to get them out of Myanmar. Wong paid some Myanmar nationals to smuggle them through the forest to Tachileik, the Thai border, where the Thai Army took them across.
There are many ways people get human trafficked but the most common one seems to be through job scams that promise unrealistically high salaries that don't match the victims' qualifications [1].
David and Laura’s case is one of many involving Malaysians who have been trafficked to work as online scammers in other countries. Experts say human traffickers are extra creative and always looking for new ways to trap people into forced criminality.
"You have to be alert. Take what your friends say with a grain of salt. Don't believe so easily," [1].
| The Macau Scam Strikes Again, in Peru |
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Meanwhile, Malaysia announced that 43 of its citizens were rescued by police in Peru after they fell prey to a human trafficking ring linked to a telecommunication fraud scheme [2]. The Malaysians were involved in the so-called “Macau scam” that originates from crime syndicates in Taiwan and China.
Macau Scam - where scammers impersonate banks or a public official to trick a person into disclosing their personal banking details or transfer money into a third-party account.
Peruvian police found the 43 Malaysians after raiding a house in La Molina in the capital Lima on Oct. 7. They will be repatriated to Malaysia soon. No details were provided as to how these victims were "abducted" and ended up in Peru.
Hundreds of Malaysians have been lured by lucrative job offers in Southeast Asian nations such as Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia and Laos, only to end up being made to defraud online users with internet romances and cryptocurrency schemes [2-4].
"I was scared of being punished, because if not those (punishments), we might be raped," said Syafinaz, as she choked on her tears [3].
The 2023 Trafficking in Person - Malaysia [5][6] report describes the trafficking trends and patterns in Malaysia, where traffickers exploit domestic and foreign victims in forced labor and sex trafficking. The report highlights the vulnerability of migrant workers, refugees, asylum-seekers, stateless persons, women, children, and Malaysians abroad to trafficking. The report also notes the involvement of organized crime syndicates and corrupt officials in trafficking activities.
Malaysia is upgraded to Tier 2 Watch List in recognition of her achievements in initiating more investigations, prosecutions, and convictions of traffickers; identifying more victims; and providing more funding and training for anti-trafficking efforts.
However, the report also identifies the government’s shortcomings and areas for improvement, which include insufficient prosecution of labor traffickers, especially in the palm oil and disposable glove sectors; inadequate victim identification and protection, especially among migrant workers, refugees, and asylum-seekers; corruption and complicity of officials in trafficking crimes; and lack of labor rights and legal status for domestic workers and stateless persons.
The 2023 Human Trafficking in Person report [7] highlights the rise of China-based organized crime groups pretending to be labor brokers on social media to recruit English-speaking or technically skilled workers from East Africa and Asia. These victims are promised lucrative jobs in countries like Cambodia, Thailand, and Laos but are taken to 'scam factories' in countries such as Burma, Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, and the Philippines upon arrival. There, their passports are seized, and they suffer physical and sexual violence.
| Once trapped, victims are forced to engage in online scams |
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| Failure to comply puts job scam victims at risk of physical abuse, sexual assault, being sold off and even organ harvesting [4]. |
The traffickers compel victims to engage in online scams, including cryptocurrency and romance scams, and illegal gambling. They exploit the pandemic-induced economic downturn to target the unemployed, operating casinos and shell companies in vacant hotels and commercial spaces. Victims are recruited through fake job listings, then forced into scams and subjected to various abuses, including debt, restricted access to essentials, threats, beatings, and electric shocks. They are coerced to work long hours, and if they fail to meet quotas or recruit others, they may be resold to other scam operations or forced into sex trafficking.
Safeguards
Is it too good to be true?
| 邊度會有咁大隻蛤乸隨街跳㗎 Would there be such a big toad hopping around the street? |
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| This phrase (in Cantonese) is used to express skepticism or disbelief about an extraordinary or suspicious situation, implying that something unusual or too good to be true is hard to come by, just like a large toad hopping around on the street |
Support System
There asupport systems available for victims of human trafficking in Malaysia. The government funds and supervises shelter homes for trafficked victims and provides psychosocial support, legal assistance, and other services.
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The Suruhanjaya Hak Asasi Manusia Malaysia (SUHAKAM) [8] is the national human rights institution of Malaysia, and it has been actively involved in combating human trafficking in the country. SUHAKAM acts as a bridge between complainants and enforcement agencies to ensure that immediate and appropriate action is taken on every complaint.
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NGOs such as Women's Aid Organization (WAO) [9] also provide support for victims of human trafficking, including counseling, shelter, and legal aid.
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The Council for Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants (MAPO)[10] is an interagency body that spearheads Malaysia's efforts to combat human trafficking.
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The United Nations Voluntary Trust Fund for Victims of Trafficking in Persons (UNVTF)[11] is a funding mechanism that supports civil society organizations of anti-human trafficking.
References
[1] N. Muslim, “Kidnapped in Thailand: When ‘friends’ sell you to human trafficking syndicates,” BERNAMA, https://www.bernama.com/en/news.php?id=2233641 (accessed Oct. 11, 2023).
[2] “43 Malaysian citizens rescued from Peru in telecommunication fraud, human trafficking bust,” Fox News, https://www.foxnews.com/world/43-malaysian-citizens-rescued-peru-telecommunication-fraud-human-trafficking-bust (accessed Oct. 11, 2023).
[3] S. Kuan, "Malaysian human trafficking victims recall horror, forced to eat mice", https://www.nst.com.my/news/crime-courts/2023/01/871186/malaysian-human-trafficking-victims-recall-horror-forced-eat-mice (accessed Oct. 11, 2023).
[4] C. S. Chan, “Individuals who rescue victims of job scams show how it is being done,” Malay Mail, https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2023/06/18/individuals-who-rescue-victims-of-job-scams-show-how-it-is-being-done/74860 (accessed Oct. 11, 2023).
[5] “2023 Trafficking in Persons Report: Malaysia,” U.S. Department of State, https://www.state.gov/reports/2023-trafficking-in-persons-report/malaysia/ (accessed Oct. 11, 2023).
[6] J. Chan, “Malaysia back on tier 2 watchlist of US Human Trafficking Report after two years,” Malay Mail, https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2023/06/16/malaysia-back-on-tier-2-watchlist-of-us-human-trafficking-report-after-two-years/74574 (accessed Oct. 11, 2023).
[7] “2023 Trafficking In Persons Report - United States Department of State,” U.S. Department of State, https://www.state.gov/reports/2023-trafficking-in-persons-report/ (accessed Oct. 11, 2023).
[8] Suruhanjaya Hak Asasi Manusia Malaysia (SUHAKAM), https://suhakam.org.my/portfolio/human-trafficking/ (accessed Oct. 11, 2023)
[9] Women's Aid Organization (WAO), https://wao.org.my/publications/human-trafficking-in-malaysia-a-focus-on-women-and-children/ (accessed Oct. 11, 2023)
[10] National Strategic Office Council for Anti-Trafficking In Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants (MAPO), https://www.moha.gov.my/index.php/en/contact-us (accessed Oct 11, 2023)
[11] United Nations Voluntary Trust Fund for Victims of Trafficking in Persons (UNVTF), https://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/human-trafficking-fund/unvtfhomepage.html (accessed Oct 11, 2023)