Scammers in Asia smuggle Starlink into labor camps
When Thailand and Myanmar joined forces in a massive raid in February, the internet was shut down across the entire border area and 7,000 victims from 29 countries were rescued from illegal call centers. But one difficulty is that more and more traffickers are starting to use Elon Musk's satellite internet, Starlink, which is not affected by internet shutdowns.
Over 80 Starlink networks were seized last year. They are not allowed in any of the countries.
“We know that they are importing a lot of Starlink devices through Thailand,” says Siriwish Kasemsap, head of the human trafficking unit at Thailand's Ministry of Justice.
According to the UN, hundreds of thousands of people are trapped in illegal labor camps that are conducting fraud operations in Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos.
Sara: Hanged upside down and given electric shocks
Hundreds of thousands of people are believed to be victims of human trafficking in Southeast Asia, where they are forced to work as internet scammers. Sara from South Africa, who does not want to give her full name, is one of them, reports Context.
She traveled to Bangkok with the promise of a tempting tech job. Instead, she was met by traffickers who took her to a dark, underground place.
“They hang you upside down and torture you, give you electric shocks and beat you for three days, or they lock you in a room for three days, completely alone, without human contact, without water and without food,” she says.
She was forced to trick strangers into investing in fake business plans – 21 hours a day.
After nine months, she got out. She managed to convince the traffickers that her mother was seriously ill and also scraped together around one million kronor in ransom money from friends and family.
When Thailand and Myanmar joined forces in a massive raid in February, the internet was shut down across the entire border area and 7,000 victims from 29 countries were rescued from illegal call centers. But one difficulty is that more and more traffickers are starting to use Elon Musk's satellite internet, Starlink, which is not affected by internet shutdowns.
Over 80 Starlink networks were seized last year. They are not allowed in any of the countries.
“We know that they are importing a lot of Starlink devices through Thailand,” says Siriwish Kasemsap, head of the human trafficking unit at Thailand's Ministry of Justice.
According to the UN, hundreds of thousands of people are trapped in illegal labor camps that are conducting fraud operations in Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos.
Sara: Hanged upside down and given electric shocks
Hundreds of thousands of people are believed to be victims of human trafficking in Southeast Asia, where they are forced to work as internet scammers. Sara from South Africa, who does not want to give her full name, is one of them, reports Context.
She traveled to Bangkok with the promise of a tempting tech job. Instead, she was met by traffickers who took her to a dark, underground place.
“They hang you upside down and torture you, give you electric shocks and beat you for three days, or they lock you in a room for three days, completely alone, without human contact, without water and without food,” she says.
She was forced to trick strangers into investing in fake business plans – 21 hours a day.
After nine months, she got out. She managed to convince the traffickers that her mother was seriously ill and also scraped together around one million kronor in ransom money from friends and family.
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