Tricked into a Life of Online Scamming in Southeast Asia

“My visa was arranged quickly without much paperwork,” he recalls.

When Samuel and his friend landed in Thailand, things immediately felt off. They were diverted from the usual arrival lines and told to send photos of themselves to the “employer.”

Soon after, a man posing as an immigration officer arrived to fast-track their entry.

A woman who claimed to be from the company arrived with a driver and told them the warehouse was “only a few hours away” from Bangkok.

To their surprise, it was an eight-hour drive. “We kept asking the driver how far it was,” Samuel says. “He kept saying, ‘Five more minutes.’”

They drove through a forest to a riverbank where a boat was waiting.

Samuel’s heart sank. “I was sure something was wrong,” he says. “We refused to get in. But then the driver made a call and soon we were surrounded by armed men.”

They were forced across the border into Myanmar and taken to a scamming compound known as “the park,” where their nightmare began.

Their passports were confiscated under the pretense of visa processing.

“There were two teams – one to find clients on social media, another to convince them to invest in fake products and cryptocurrency schemes. We had scripts to follow. It was fraud, plain and simple.”

They were given a monthly target of USD 30,000 each through scams. Failure meant their salaries would be withheld or worse.

“We were warned that if we failed to meet the targets, we would be beaten and electrocuted.”

They were forced to sign a one-year contract with heavy penalties.

“When I refused to sign the paperwork, they took me and my friend to a station where we were beaten for two days straight,” he recalls.

For nine months, Samuel was forced to work 16 hours each day. Phones were confiscated during work hours. Cameras were taped over. Rooms and phones were searched. Anyone caught with photos on their phones faced a fine.

“There were thousands of us, mostly from Africa,” he explains. “Guards with guns watched our every move. We were prisoners.”

He could not contact his family. “I worried constantly about my mother’s health. I felt helpless, but I knew I had to survive.”

Samuel’s defiant spirit made him a target. When physical abuse failed, the employers turned to psychological torture.

They beat his friend in front of him and threatened to kill him if Samuel resisted again.

“At this point, I couldn’t take it anymore,” he says. With the support of other Ghanaians, they confronted their employers, demanding his friend’s release.

The solidarity worked. His friend was released, but “being fired” meant being sold to another company with even worse conditions.

“We were sold like slaves,” he adds.

A glimmer of hope came when news of rescue operations reached the compound.

The employers tried to manipulate them with fear, claiming that rescuers would jail or deport them. They also threatened them with media exposure that would portray them like criminals.

Some believed the lies and stayed behind, while others were locked in their rooms.

Despite the fear, they took a leap of faith. “We thought it would be better to put our lives in the hands of the government rather than criminals,” says Kobi*, another Ghanaian survivor.

Even after they left with the rescue officials, the threats continued.

“They tried to prevent us from contacting the embassy. Our movements and phones were still somehow being monitored.”

It was only when they reached the Embassy of Ghana and contacted the International Organization for Migration (IOM) that they could truly breathe.

In April 2025, Samuel and Kobi, along with 12 other survivors, were received by the Ambassador of Ghana and IOM at the Tak Immigration Checkpoint on the Thai-Myanmar border.

After screening, IOM identified them as victims of trafficking for forced criminality and provided pre-departure counselling. IOM also coordinated with the Royal Thai Government and consulates to facilitate their safe return to Ghana.

“I’m just happy to be home,” Samuel says. “Rebuilding our lives after such an experience isn’t easy. But we try to focus on making the most of what we have and growing from it,” Kobi adds.

He also stresses the need for better awareness. “We need to make sure people know who to contact if they find themselves in such situations. Because in the end, anyone can fall victim to these scams.”

*Name changed to protect their identity.

According to OHCHR’s 2023 report, at least 120,000 people are estimated to be in Myanmar’s scam hubs, forced into modern slavery and online fraud, while another 100,000 are in Cambodia.

Since 2024, IOM has worked closely with the Royal Thai Government, embassies, civil society and other protection partners in Myanmar and Thailand to support the voluntary return of over 440 victims of trafficking rescued from scamming centres.

This story was written by Anushma Shrestha, Media and Communications Officer with IOM Thailand.