Latest news with #MontseFerrer
New Straits Times
20 minutes ago
- New Straits Times
Amnesty: 'Mass scale' abuses in Cambodia scam centres
BANGKOK: While looking for jobs on Facebook, Jett thought he had found a well-paid opportunity working in online customer service in his home country of Thailand. Following instructions to travel across the kingdom, the 18-year-old ended up being trafficked across the border to a compound in Svay Rieng, Cambodia. There Jett was beaten, tortured and forced to perpetrate cyberscams, part of a multibillion-dollar illicit industry that has defrauded victims around the world. He was forcibly held at the compound for seven months, during which "there was no monetary compensation, and contacting family for help was not an option", he told AFP. "Will I survive, or will I die?" Jett (a pseudonym to protect his identity) recalled asking himself. Abuses in Cambodia's scam centres are happening on a "mass scale", a report published Thursday by Amnesty International said, accusing the Cambodian government of being "acquiescent" and "complicit" in the exploitation of thousands of workers. The report says there are at least 53 scam compounds in Cambodia, clustered mostly around border areas, in which organised criminal groups carry out human trafficking, forced labour, child labour, torture, deprivation of liberty and slavery. Amnesty's Montse Ferrer said that despite law enforcement raids on some scam compounds, the number of compounds in Cambodia has increased, "growing and building" in the last few months and years. "Scamming compounds are allowed to thrive and flourish by the Cambodian government," she told AFP. The Cambodian government has denied the allegations. Jett was made to romance his wealthy, middle-aged compatriots on social media, gaining their trust until they could be tricked into investing in a fake business. "If the target fell into the trap, they would be lured to keep investing more until they were financially drained – selling their land, cars, or all their assets," he said. Scam bosses demanded exorbitant targets of one million baht (US$31,000) per month from overworked employees – a target only about two per cent of them reached, he said. "Initially, new recruits wouldn't face physical harm, but later, reprimands escalated to beatings, electric shocks, and severe intimidation," Jett told AFP. The other employees in his multi-storey building were mostly Chinese, with some Vietnamese and some Thais. Amnesty International says none of the ex-scammers of the 58 they interviewed for the report were Cambodian, and "overwhelmingly" were not paid for their labour. Most of the scam centre bosses were Chinese, Jett said, adding that they used Thai interpreters when meting out punishments to those who performed poorly. "Sometimes they'd hold meetings to decide who would be eliminated tomorrow," he said. "Or who will be sold (to another scam compound)? Or did anyone do something wrong that day? Did they break the company rules?" He claims a colleague falsely accused him of wrongdoing to the Chinese bosses for a bounty. He pleaded his innocence but they "just didn't listen." Ferrer said Cambodian government interventions against the scam centres had been "woefully ineffective", often linked to corruption by individual police officers at a "systemic and widespread level." Government spokesman Pen Bona told AFP: "Cambodia is a victimised country used by criminals to commit online scams. We do recognise that there is such thing, but Cambodia has taken serious measures against the problem." The UN Office on Drugs and Crime said in April that the scam industry was expanding outside hotspots in Southeast Asia, with criminal gangs building up operations as far as South America, Africa, the Middle East, Europe and some Pacific islands. In Cambodia, Jett ultimately staged a dramatic escape after a particularly severe beating in which his arm was broken. He jumped out of a building, passed out and later woke up in hospital. "Whether I died or survived, both options seemed good to me at the time," he said. "Consider it a blessing that I jumped." He is now seeking legal recourse with assistance from Thai government agencies who have categorised him as a victim of human trafficking. But Ferrer said effective action to help end the industry must come from the Cambodian government. "We are convinced that if the Cambodian government wanted to put a stop they would be able to put a stop. At the very least they would be able to do much more than what we're seeing," she said.
Telegraph
9 hours ago
- Telegraph
Cambodia ‘deliberately ignoring' abuses in brutal scam centres
Cambodian officials are 'deliberately ignoring' abuses committed by crime syndicates trafficking thousands of people, including children, into brutal cyber scam compounds, according to Amnesty International. In a 240-page report published on Thursday, the human rights group claimed the government is aware of the 'hellish' conditions inside the thriving scam centres, but has chosen to turn a blind eye to widespread torture, human trafficking and modern slavery. In some instances, there has even been 'coordination and possibly collusion between Chinese compound bosses and the Cambodian police'. 'Survivors of these scamming compounds describe being trapped in a living nightmare – enlisted in criminal enterprises that are operating with the apparent consent of the Cambodian government,' said Agnes Callamard, Amnesty International's secretary general. Montse Ferrer, the organisation's regional research director, added: 'The Cambodian authorities know what is going on inside scamming compounds, yet they allow it to continue. Our findings reveal a pattern of state failures that have allowed criminality to flourish and raises questions about the government's motivations.' Cambodia has denied the claims. In the last five years scam centres have proliferated across southeast Asia, after Chinese-led criminal gangs converted casinos and hotels into online fraud factories during the pandemic. This shadow economy has become extremely lucrative. According to 'conservative' estimates from the US Institute of Peace (USIP), at least $43.8 billion (£33.8bn) is being stolen each year by scammers based in Cambodia, Myanmar and Laos alone – a figure roughly equal to 40 per cent of their combined GDP. But many of those running these online fraud, entrapment and blackmail schemes are themselves victims, lured with false promises of highly-paid work in deceptive job adverts on social media. In Cambodia alone, as many as 100,000 people have been trafficked into scam compounds, according to the United Nations. The Amnesty report – which identified 53 scam centres and dozens more suspected sites, including in the capital Phnom Penh – is based on testimony from 58 people, including nine children, who were stuck in these centres. Their experiences are in keeping with other reports detailing the 'climate of fear' in these fraud factories. With high fences with razor wire, surveillance cameras and armed men standing guard, these compounds are designed to trap them inside, while complaining or failing to hit targets could result in beatings, electric shocks, and being shut in dark rooms. Survivors also told Amnesty that people were sold between the compounds, and that deaths were not uncommon. The human-rights group said the Cambodian government is all too aware of these abuses. Not only have they been well-documented by media and activists, but the police have overseen raids that freed some trafficked workers – while leaving many more inside. Amnesty found that just two scam compounds had been shut down. More than two-thirds of the sites identified were either not investigated by police, or had continued to operate even after police interventions. 'Unlike Myanmar, another hotspot for scamming compounds where territory is disputed across different armed factions… Cambodia has absolute sovereignty and control over its territory, and so it's allowing it to happen,' said Ms Ferrer. She added that Amnesty's investigation revealed 'systemic instances of corruption and collusion'. 'There are cases where individuals talk about payment of bribes, but in the majority of cases it isn't that,' Ms Ferrer said. '[They know] police are involved – either because an individual calls the police to try and get a rescue and they're tortured the next day… or because it is visible to them that compound managers and police are seemingly discussing the release of an individual or two. This is not exceptional… This is systemic. We are convinced the police are aware of what's happening.' Amnesty said the Cambodian government did not respond when it shared the locations and coordinates of the scam centres it identified, while the National Committee to Combat Human Trafficking shared only 'vague data' on known abuses and their response. Government spokesman Pen Bona told AFP: 'Cambodia is a victimised country used by criminals to commit online scams. We do recognise that there is such thing, but Cambodia has taken serious measures against the problem.' In contrast, many of those who escaped the scam compounds have been detained in immigration detention centres for months at a time, while authorities have targeted human rights defenders and journalists investigating abuses.
Yahoo
10 hours ago
- Yahoo
'Mass scale' abuses in Cambodia scam centres: Amnesty
While looking for jobs on Facebook, Jett thought he had found a well-paying opportunity working in online customer service in his home country of Thailand. Following instructions to travel across the kingdom, the 18-year-old ended up being trafficked across the border to a compound in Svay Rieng, Cambodia. There Jett was beaten, tortured and forced to perpetrate cyberscams, part of a multibillion-dollar illicit industry that has defrauded victims around the world. He was forcibly held at the compound for seven months, during which "there was no monetary compensation, and contacting family for help was not an option", he told AFP. "Will I survive, or will I die?" Jett (a pseudonym to protect his identity) recalled asking himself. Abuses in Cambodia's scam centres are happening on a "mass scale", a report published Thursday by Amnesty International said, accusing the Cambodian government of being "acquiescent" and "complicit" in the exploitation of thousands of workers. The report says there are at least 53 scam compounds in Cambodia, clustered mostly around border areas, in which organised criminal groups carry out human trafficking, forced labour, child labour, torture, deprivation of liberty and slavery. Amnesty's Montse Ferrer said that despite law enforcement raids on some scam compounds, the number of compounds in Cambodia has increased, "growing and building" in the last few months and years. "Scamming compounds are allowed to thrive and flourish by the Cambodian government," she told AFP. The Cambodian government has denied the allegations. Jett was made to romance his wealthy, middle-aged compatriots on social media, gaining their trust until they could be tricked into investing in a fake business. "If the target fell into the trap, they would be lured to keep investing more until they were financially drained -- selling their land, cars, or all their assets," he said. Scam bosses demanded exorbitant targets of one million baht ($31,000) per month from overworked employees –- a target only about two percent of them reached, he said. "Initially, new recruits wouldn't face physical harm, but later, reprimands escalated to beatings, electric shocks, and severe intimidation," Jett told AFP. - 'Woefully ineffective' – The other employees in his multi-storey building were mostly Chinese, with some Vietnamese and some Thais. Amnesty International says none of the ex-scammers of the 58 they interviewed for the report were Cambodian, and "overwhelmingly" were not paid for their labour. Most of the scam centre bosses were Chinese, Jett said, adding that they used Thai interpreters when meting out punishments to those who performed poorly. "Sometimes they'd hold meetings to decide who would be eliminated tomorrow," he said. "Or who will be sold (to another scam compound)? Or did anyone do something wrong that day? Did they break the company rules?" He claims a colleague falsely accused him of wrongdoing to the Chinese bosses for a bounty. He pleaded his innocence but they "just didn't listen". Ferrer said Cambodian government interventions against the scam centres had been "woefully ineffective", often linked to corruption by individual police officers at a "systemic and widespread level". Government spokesman Pen Bona told AFP: "Cambodia is a victimised country used by criminals to commit online scams. We do recognise that there is such thing, but Cambodia has taken serious measures against the problem." The UN Office on Drugs and Crime said in April that the scam industry was expanding outside hotspots in Southeast Asia, with criminal gangs building up operations as far as South America, Africa, the Middle East, Europe and some Pacific islands. In Cambodia, Jett ultimately staged a dramatic escape after a particularly severe beating in which his arm was broken. He jumped out of a building, passed out and later woke up in hospital. "Whether I died or survived, both options seemed good to me at the time," he said. "Consider it a blessing that I jumped." He is now seeking legal recourse with assistance from Thai government agencies who have categorised him as a victim of human trafficking. But Ferrer said effective action to help end the industry must come from the Cambodian government. "We are convinced that if the Cambodian government wanted to put a stop they would be able to put a stop. At the very least they would be able to do much more than what we're seeing," she said. suy-sjc/pdw/sco
Int'l Business Times
14 hours ago
- Int'l Business Times
'Mass Scale' Abuses In Cambodia Scam Centres: Amnesty
While looking for jobs on Facebook, Jett thought he had found a well-paying opportunity working in online customer service in his home country of Thailand. Following instructions to travel across the kingdom, the 18-year-old ended up being trafficked across the border to a compound in Svay Rieng, Cambodia. There Jett was beaten, tortured and forced to perpetrate cyberscams, part of a multibillion-dollar illicit industry that has defrauded victims around the world. He was forcibly held at the compound for seven months, during which "there was no monetary compensation, and contacting family for help was not an option", he told AFP. "Will I survive, or will I die?" Jett (a pseudonym to protect his identity) recalled asking himself. Abuses in Cambodia's scam centres are happening on a "mass scale", a report published Thursday by Amnesty International said, accusing the Cambodian government of being "acquiescent" and "complicit" in the exploitation of thousands of workers. The report says there are at least 53 scam compounds in Cambodia, clustered mostly around border areas, in which organised criminal groups carry out human trafficking, forced labour, child labour, torture, deprivation of liberty and slavery. Amnesty's Montse Ferrer said that despite law enforcement raids on some scam compounds, the number of compounds in Cambodia has increased, "growing and building" in the last few months and years. "Scamming compounds are allowed to thrive and flourish by the Cambodian government," she told AFP. The Cambodian government has denied the allegations. Jett was made to romance his wealthy, middle-aged compatriots on social media, gaining their trust until they could be tricked into investing in a fake business. "If the target fell into the trap, they would be lured to keep investing more until they were financially drained -- selling their land, cars, or all their assets," he said. Scam bosses demanded exorbitant targets of one million baht ($31,000) per month from overworked employees -- a target only about two percent of them reached, he said. "Initially, new recruits wouldn't face physical harm, but later, reprimands escalated to beatings, electric shocks, and severe intimidation," Jett told AFP. The other employees in his multi-storey building were mostly Chinese, with some Vietnamese and some Thais. Amnesty International says none of the ex-scammers of the 58 they interviewed for the report were Cambodian, and "overwhelmingly" were not paid for their labour. Most of the scam centre bosses were Chinese, Jett said, adding that they used Thai interpreters when meting out punishments to those who performed poorly. "Sometimes they'd hold meetings to decide who would be eliminated tomorrow," he said. "Or who will be sold (to another scam compound)? Or did anyone do something wrong that day? Did they break the company rules?" He claims a colleague falsely accused him of wrongdoing to the Chinese bosses for a bounty. He pleaded his innocence but they "just didn't listen". Ferrer said Cambodian government interventions against the scam centres had been "woefully ineffective", often linked to corruption by individual police officers at a "systemic and widespread level". Government spokesman Pen Bona told AFP: "Cambodia is a victimised country used by criminals to commit online scams. We do recognise that there is such thing, but Cambodia has taken serious measures against the problem." The UN Office on Drugs and Crime said in April that the scam industry was expanding outside hotspots in Southeast Asia, with criminal gangs building up operations as far as South America, Africa, the Middle East, Europe and some Pacific islands. In Cambodia, Jett ultimately staged a dramatic escape after a particularly severe beating in which his arm was broken. He jumped out of a building, passed out and later woke up in hospital. "Whether I died or survived, both options seemed good to me at the time," he said. "Consider it a blessing that I jumped." He is now seeking legal recourse with assistance from Thai government agencies who have categorised him as a victim of human trafficking. But Ferrer said effective action to help end the industry must come from the Cambodian government. "We are convinced that if the Cambodian government wanted to put a stop they would be able to put a stop. At the very least they would be able to do much more than what we're seeing," she said. A motorist passes a building in 2022 that was previously shut down by the police in Cambodia's coastal city of Sihanoukville AFP
France 24
14 hours ago
- France 24
'Mass scale' abuses in Cambodia scam centres: Amnesty
Following instructions to travel across the kingdom, the 18-year-old ended up being trafficked across the border to a compound in Svay Rieng, Cambodia. There Jett was beaten, tortured and forced to perpetrate cyberscams, part of a multibillion-dollar illicit industry that has defrauded victims around the world. He was forcibly held at the compound for seven months, during which "there was no monetary compensation, and contacting family for help was not an option", he told AFP. "Will I survive, or will I die?" Jett (a pseudonym to protect his identity) recalled asking himself. Abuses in Cambodia's scam centres are happening on a "mass scale", a report published Thursday by Amnesty International said, accusing the Cambodian government of being "acquiescent" and "complicit" in the exploitation of thousands of workers. The report says there are at least 53 scam compounds in Cambodia, clustered mostly around border areas, in which organised criminal groups carry out human trafficking, forced labour, child labour, torture, deprivation of liberty and slavery. Amnesty's Montse Ferrer said that despite law enforcement raids on some scam compounds, the number of compounds in Cambodia has increased, "growing and building" in the last few months and years. "Scamming compounds are allowed to thrive and flourish by the Cambodian government," she told AFP. The Cambodian government has denied the allegations. Jett was made to romance his wealthy, middle-aged compatriots on social media, gaining their trust until they could be tricked into investing in a fake business. "If the target fell into the trap, they would be lured to keep investing more until they were financially drained -- selling their land, cars, or all their assets," he said. Scam bosses demanded exorbitant targets of one million baht ($31,000) per month from overworked employees –- a target only about two percent of them reached, he said. "Initially, new recruits wouldn't face physical harm, but later, reprimands escalated to beatings, electric shocks, and severe intimidation," Jett told AFP. - 'Woefully ineffective' – The other employees in his multi-storey building were mostly Chinese, with some Vietnamese and some Thais. Amnesty International says none of the ex-scammers of the 58 they interviewed for the report were Cambodian, and "overwhelmingly" were not paid for their labour. Most of the scam centre bosses were Chinese, Jett said, adding that they used Thai interpreters when meting out punishments to those who performed poorly. "Sometimes they'd hold meetings to decide who would be eliminated tomorrow," he said. "Or who will be sold (to another scam compound)? Or did anyone do something wrong that day? Did they break the company rules?" He claims a colleague falsely accused him of wrongdoing to the Chinese bosses for a bounty. He pleaded his innocence but they "just didn't listen". Ferrer said Cambodian government interventions against the scam centres had been "woefully ineffective", often linked to corruption by individual police officers at a "systemic and widespread level". Government spokesman Pen Bona told AFP: "Cambodia is a victimised country used by criminals to commit online scams. We do recognise that there is such thing, but Cambodia has taken serious measures against the problem." The UN Office on Drugs and Crime said in April that the scam industry was expanding outside hotspots in Southeast Asia, with criminal gangs building up operations as far as South America, Africa, the Middle East, Europe and some Pacific islands. In Cambodia, Jett ultimately staged a dramatic escape after a particularly severe beating in which his arm was broken. He jumped out of a building, passed out and later woke up in hospital. "Whether I died or survived, both options seemed good to me at the time," he said. "Consider it a blessing that I jumped." He is now seeking legal recourse with assistance from Thai government agencies who have categorised him as a victim of human trafficking. But Ferrer said effective action to help end the industry must come from the Cambodian government. "We are convinced that if the Cambodian government wanted to put a stop they would be able to put a stop. At the very least they would be able to do much more than what we're seeing," she said.
