Asia | Victims fleecing victims

The gangs that kidnap Asians and force them to commit cyberfraud

Syndicates in Cambodia and Myanmar have coerced thousands into scamming others

A pedestrian walks past a construction site in Sihanoukville, Cambodia, on Monday, July 8, 2019. In Sihanoukville, a once-sleepy resort town, Cambodians are betting that an infusion of Chinese-built infrastructure will pay off with jobs and prosperity. The influx is tied to Chinas Belt and Road Initiative, an ambitious plan to build an estimated $1 trillion worth of infrastructure across Asia and parts of Africa, dwarfing the post-World War II Marshall Plan. Photographer: Brent Lewin/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Oct 6th 2022|SINGAPORE

THINGS WERE looking up for Bilce Tan. The 41-year-old Malaysian had lost his job at the height of the pandemic and had spent months looking for work. Then in May, a fantastic opportunity came his way. After multiple interviews, a Malaysian company offered him a job as a business-development lead at their office in Sihanoukville, a resort town in Cambodia. The company would pay him 12,000 ringgit ($2,588) a month—far more than he could make in Malaysia. The benefits included free room and board at an apartment block that boasted a gym. Mr Tan accepted.

This article appeared in the Asia section of the print edition under the headline “Forced to defraud”