One of the largest concentrations of human trafficking in the world is occurring in cities and special economic zones of Cambodia, Myanmar, and Laos. Tens of thousands of people are being held against their will by crime syndicates and forced into the multibillion-dollar industry by scam.
The most infamous of the scams is the so-called “pig-butchering scam.” Either by phone or by Internet, the victims of this scam are lured into bogus investments that may cost them their life savings.
As International Justice Mission Country (IJM) Director for Cambodia, Jake Sims sees this crime through the lens of human trafficking. His team at IJM has in-depth knowledge of the factors that cause the scammers to behave as they do.
Forced Labor at Its Worst
To have a glimpse into the mind of one of the people who’s been perpetrating the con, take the case of Ali Malik (not his real name). Malik worked as a safety officer in a construction company in Saudi Arabia. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he lost his job and returned to Pakistan.
He was desperately looking for a job abroad following the economic fallout in Pakistan brought about by the massive flooding this year. When Malik saw the social media ad for a digital marketing job in Cambodia, he immediately said yes.
His prospective employers promised to give him a monthly salary of USD 1,200 and they promised that they’d refund all his expenses, including visa fee and plane ticket. Malik flew to Cambodia…
