If you’ve recently been inundated with unsolicited text messages promising lucrative job opportunities, you’re likely experiencing a growing problem: employment scams. These texts, often tempting with promises of high earnings for minimal work, are rarely what they seem. They represent a far more sinister reality—a complex web of human trafficking, exploitation, and organized crime operating across Southeast Asia.
These scams have surged since 2020, and it’s not accidental. They’re remarkably effective, resulting in significant financial losses for victims. Last year alone, Americans reported nearly 250,000 text scam incidents to the Federal Trade Commission, leading to losses of approximately $500 million.
The behind-the-scenes reality, explored in a recent episode of Explain It to Me, a podcast from Vox, reveals a deeply disturbing truth. These scams are largely orchestrated by groups known as the “Smishing Triad,” syndicates that use SMS texting to steal personal information and financial details. They are estimated to send 100,000 messages daily, utilizing sophisticated software that’s often sold to other criminals.
However, the victims aren’s only those receiving the scam texts. A significant number of the people sending them are themselves victims—individuals lured from their home countries with promises of good-paying jobs, only to be trapped in exploitative and often brutal conditions.
Erin West, a former prosecutor in California and founder of Operation Shamrock, an organization dedicated to educating people about scams, has investigated these operations firsthand. Her work has highlighted the scale of the problem, particularly in Cambodia, Myanmar, and Laos. She explains that Cambodia’s economy has been dramatically altered, with scamming now comprising an astounding 60% of its Gross Domestic Product—a transformation built on forced labor.
The Human Cost: Stories from the Inside
The podcast shares compelling stories of individuals trapped in these scam facilities. Consider the case of Small Q, a 23-year-old Ugandan man working in an internet cafe. He was recruited with the promise of earning $1,000 a month, ten times his current salary, in a Bangkok data entry job.
Upon arrival, his phone and passport were confiscated, and he was confined to a sprawling, walled compound. He was told, “You are a scammer now. This is your job.” He joined dozens of others, forced to spend their waking hours working on desktop computers and phones, attempting to defraud unsuspecting victims.
The Structures of Exploitation
The conditions within these scam compounds are grim. The buildings are massive—often ten stories tall—with barred windows and surrounded by concrete walls. West describes them as sprawling complexes with hundreds of facilities along rivers in Myanmar and Cambodia. The operations are run by Chinese organized criminals who initially planned to fill these areas with casino towers. When those plans stalled due to the pandemic, they pivoted to human trafficking and scam operations.
A Corporate System of Control
These scam operations are surprisingly structured, with clearly defined roles and incentives. Individuals initially work to locate new clients and then elevate to “chatter” roles, where they develop character personas to use in their scams. The system rewards success with bonuses and perks, such as karaoke nights and cigarettes. However, failure to meet quotas carries severe consequences.
Small Q’s compatriot, Sam, faced being denied food and subjected to electric baton beatings for failing to meet targets. Women faced sexual exploitation, and some were subjected to brutal punishments in a room nicknamed the “dark room.”
Escape and Recovery
Escape from these situations is incredibly difficult. Victims are often told they can pay a ransom of $3,000 to $20,000 to secure their release. Small Q was eventually able to return home to Uganda by stealing a phone and contacting Madam Betty Bigombe, Uganda’s high commissioner, highlighting the immense mental and emotional toll these experiences inflict.
A Warning and a Call to Action
The stories behind those tempting text messages are a stark reminder that not everything online is as it seems. They expose a complex criminal enterprise built on human trafficking, exploitation, and the systematic abuse of vulnerable individuals. Explain It to Me emphasizes that the people on the other side of those scam texts are often themselves victims—individuals desperate to escape horrific conditions.
The growing problem requires increased awareness, robust investigation, and international cooperation to dismantle these networks and protect those at risk
