Lured to Cambodia, tortured and forced to defraud strangers online, a Thai teenager said he barely survived after he threw himself from an eighth-floor window last year in a desperate bid to escape one of the prison-like scam compounds found in the the Southeast Asian nation.

Phnom Penh

A Thai teenager, identified only as Louis, has shared his experience of being lured to Cambodia with a fake job offer, only to be trafficked, tortured, and forced to defraud people online. According to Louis, he endured harsh conditions for nearly a year in a scam compound, where workers were closely monitored, punished, and guarded by men with electric batons.

A recent Amnesty International report highlights widespread abuses in Cambodian scam compounds, accusing the government of ignoring the issue. The Cambodian government has denied these allegations. The scam industry in Cambodia is estimated to generate over $12.5 billion annually. Louis ultimately escaped by jumping from a building and fleeing while in hospital. His account aligns with reports from other trafficking survivors.

Thai teen says he barely survived Cambodia scam farm compound

If, hypothetically, you want to go work over there, I recommend you don't go. It's for your own safety, for your life. If you make a mistake there some day, you might never come back." This Thai teenager, who only wanted to be identified by the nickname Louis, told Reuters he was lured to a scam centre in Cambodia, tortured and forced to defraud strangers online. A report from human rights group Amnesty International on Thursday points to, quote, a series of state failures in Cambodia that led it to emerge as a hub for the global scam industry during the pandemic. At this time, mostly Chinese-led gangs repurposed empty casinos and hotels as scam centres, housing up to 100,000 people, according to the UN. Similar compounds flourished in Myanmar and Laos. Amnesty's report says the gangs first tricked trafficking victims with fake job offers posted on social media, and then forced them to financially exploit people online, often through fake romances. I was told by scam centre staff that this job is a dark side job, a job to deceive people. I was shocked, thinking, what should I do? I felt pressured and thought I couldn't do it. They told me to try the job for a week, around seven days, and if I couldn't do it, they would take me somewhere else. But in the end, they sold me off. The Amnesty report accuses Cambodia's government of deliberately ignoring abuses by cybercrime gangs that have trafficked people from across the world, including children, into slavery. The Cambodian government has rejected the allegations, saying the report was exaggerated. The scam industry in Cambodia now generates more than $12.5 billion annually, according to the United States Institute for Peace. On Wednesday, Louis told Reuters that he endured brutal conditions for almost a year. He said buildings were surrounded by high walls and barbed wire, and trafficked workers were cruelly punished and guarded by men with electric batons. The workplace was hot and stuffy, oppressive, and we were constantly monitored. The work was incredibly hard. We typed until our eyes were tired and blurry. If we weren't working, someone would report us. It was like someone was watching all the time. There were bosses who controlled us. Reuters was unable to independently verify Louis' account, but details match stories from trafficking survivors published by numerous groups. Louis says he threw himself from a window in a desperate bid for freedom and was able to escape while in hospital. When I jumped, I was on the eighth floor going to the fifth. I jumped and then my chin split open. My mouth filled with blood, it was everywhere, and my teeth were broken. Then I passed out and my leg was limping. When I woke up, I was already in the hospital.

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