Malaysian Man Tricked into Crypto Scams After Responding to Job Ad on Facebook
A Malaysian man, known as John, fell victim to a human trafficking syndicate after responding to a job advertisement on Facebook. According to CBC, John saw a post on a Facebook group offering a customer service job with a Cambodian casino. Since he had lost his job due to the Covid-19 pandemic, he accepted the offer, which included free travel expenses from Thailand to Sihanoukville in Cambodia.
However, upon arrival, John’s passport was confiscated, and he was locked up in a compound with other captives for four months. He was forced to engage in crypto scams targeting Canadians and English-speaking Westerners through a scheme called pig-butchering. This involved building relationships with potential victims and persuading them to invest in cryptocurrencies.
Forced to Scam and Endure Abuse
John was coerced into initiating conversations with strangers online and convincing them to make shady crypto investments. Failure to comply resulted in physical abuse from the traffickers. Despite attempting an escape by seeking help online, he was caught and sold to another scam company for $11,000.
Rescue and Ideal Targets
John eventually managed to contact the International Justice Mission (IJM) through social media. IJM collaborated with authorities to rescue him from captivity. Jake Sims, IJM’s country director for Cambodia, explained that individuals like John are prime targets for traffickers due to their language skills, education, and desperation for employment opportunities.
The article originally appeared on The Daily Hodl.
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