A photo taken on October 15, 2024, shows two Indonesian men, former victims of human trafficking syndicates, posing at a window in Jakarta after being forced to work as scammers in Cambodia. Thousands of Indonesians have been lured abroad in recent years with promises of better-paying jobs, only to fall into the hands of transnational scam operators.
Indonesian fruit seller Budi, seeking better opportunities, signed up for an IT job in Cambodia. Instead, he found himself detained in a heavily guarded compound, forced to carry out online scams. 'When I arrived there, I was told to read a script,' Budi, whose real name is not disclosed, told AFP. 'It turned out that we were asked to work as scammers.' The 26-year-old worked 14 hours a day, surrounded by barbed wire and armed guards, facing threats from supervisors. After six weeks, he received only $390 of the $800 promised.
Thousands of Indonesians have been enticed abroad in recent years, only to end up in the clutches of transnational scam operators. Many have been rescued and repatriated, but dozens remain trapped in scam compounds, forced to target victims on social media. Food stall worker Nanda's husband, lured to Thailand in mid-2022 with promises of a high-paying IT job, was whisked across the border to Myanmar, where he was forced to work at an online scam compound. He endured shifts of over 15 hours, facing punishments and verbal abuse for falling asleep on the job.
Phones are confiscated at the start of the workday, and call logs and messages are screened by the operators. However, brief, coded communications are often the only clues that help activist groups and authorities locate the scam compounds for rescue operations. Between 2020 and September 2024, Jakarta repatriated over 4,700 Indonesians from countries including Cambodia, Myanmar, Laos, and Vietnam. The government has identified at least 90 Indonesians still trapped in scam rings near Myanmar's Myawaddy area, with the figure likely higher.
An Indonesian housewife, whose husband remains trapped in a Myanmar scam syndicate, has pleaded with officials for help but with little success. 'It's very inhumane, a job with working conditions of 16 to 20 hours, without pay... and constant intimidation and punishment,' she said. Jakarta can only cooperate with local authorities and lacks jurisdiction to carry out arrests abroad. Cambodian authorities have vowed to crack down on scam operators but also urged Indonesia and other countries to launch public awareness campaigns.
Budi, who escaped after being transferred to another scam ring in Cambodia, now works at a palm oil plantation. However, he remains haunted by the fraud he was forced to commit. 'The guilt will be a lifelong feeling, because when we take away people's rightful belongings, it's like something is stuck in my heart,' he said.
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