How an IT job in Thailand turned into cyber-slavery in Myanmar

Trigger Warning: this article contains graphic descriptions of abuse endured by those trapped in cyber-scam compounds. 

Thousands of people were recently freed from modern slavery in Myanmar, where they were forced to work in scam centers. Annika was among those freed. In a recent interview with the BBC, she told her story of being forced to rip off internet users from around the world under threat of extreme physical violence. Her account gives a glimpse into the harsh punishments and conditions thousands have been, and many still are, being forced to endure behind the barbed wire-topped walls.  

Good job gone wrong

It began with a tip from her best friend’s husband about IT jobs on offer in Thailand. Annika previously had a good job in her home in Sri Lanka. But when the financial crisis hit, the prospect of a job that paid three times her monthly salary and included food and accommodation for six months was too good to pass up. It wasn’t until the plane landed in Myanmar instead of Thailand that Annika started to feel fear washing over her. After breezing through customs, they had a four-hour car trip into the jungle. It was then that Annika’s anxiety really kicked in when they were all handed over to gun wielding military officers who collected everyone’s cell phones. 

Annika shared: 

“The other three boys were crying, and they checked all our bags for sharp items, blades, scissors, everything. And then we say we want to go back home. So, then they say they cannot send us home because they already spent so much money on us. And for each person, they have paid $8,000.” 

It wasn’t until the next day that she found out the job they were there to do: scam vulnerable, lonely people out of money using crypto investment scams. Through tears, Annika says even now she feels like crying when she thinks of the lonely people she scammed out of thousands of dollars. Some even lost their homes due to her scams. But Annika couldn’t refuse to work; the alternative was too frightening. 

Annika said: 

“We saw when people refused, I remember one incident. He refused to work, and for about two days, they kept him inside the office itself. And then after that, he gets beaten very badly.  

Annika said the people in charge were Chinese, but the military who worked inside were from Myanmar. From what she saw, it was mostly Africans and Ethiopians being forced to work in the compound. There were also many from Asian countries, like the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Nepal, and India.

A choiceless choice

All of those working in compounds are educated people with basic computer skills according to Annika. And if each worker didn’t get seven new clients per month, or $15,000 USD, they didn’t get paid. If you don’t get paid, you can’t pay off your “debt,” but that wasn’t the worst part.  

Annika explained: 

“They hit your butt, and you had to hold the wall with both hands. They used an iron rod, or they had whips and the electric baton. If anyone struggles or tries to push back at them, the beating goes up, followed by electric shock. So, we were very scared.”  

Annika shared that they never got to know anyone’s name. Instead, they were given a Chinese number as a name. According to her experience, they beat the Indians the most because they fought back most often. When that happened, a lot of armed soldiers would come in to suppress those fighting back. Annika said she doesn’t know what happened to some people; they just disappeared. 

“Most of the people come very healthy and pretty, but if they go against (the work), within a month, it’s pathetic to see them. Some people don’t have their teeth. Their hands are broken, their legs are broken. They need crutches to walk. Even the women, they come like dolls. And in one month or so, when they don’t perform, you cannot even look at their faces.” 

Thanks to some of the global attention recently on the growing issue of these scam centers in Myanmar and Cambodia, the Thai government cut power to the areas where most of the compounds are found. That has led to many of those trapped in cyberslavery being freed and left to find their own way home. Annika says she and her family had to run up huge debts to get her home.  

A cautionary tale

The basic narrative of Annika’s lived experience of the harsh life inside the scam centers has been repeated by the hundreds of others who also managed to get out. Sadly, while thousands have been freed, others remain trapped, and fake job offers continue to lure in new victims every day. While some Chinese and Thai nationals have been arrested for their part in running  the centers, there is little chance even the majority have been shut down. Annika is now back at home and aiming for a fresh start. While she still has nightmares, she plans to open her own restaurant back home in Sri Lanka. For many more, the nightmare continues.