Trafficked Worker's Account Reveals Coercive Practices in Transnational Scam Operations
Introduction
A Myanmar national, identified only as Mark, shared his story at the Global Anti-Scam Summit Asia in Singapore in September 2025. He described how he was trafficked into a forced labor scam operation in Dubai and later the Philippines. His account shows the methods that criminal groups use to force workers into illegal activities and the ongoing challenges in fighting such transnational crime.
Main Body
Mark, a 31-year-old business graduate, lost his job as a property sales consultant in Bangkok. He then responded to a Facebook job advertisement for a forex trading platform marketer in Dubai. After completing a typing test and an online interview, he received an offer letter that promised flight, visa, and accommodation. However, when he arrived in Dubai, his passport was taken away under the excuse of processing a work visa. He later learned that the company, identified by Rappler in 2023 as the Colorful and Leap Group, operated scam centers in both Dubai and the Philippines. Workers had to gather daily before 6 a.m. to sing songs such as OneRepublic's 'Counting Stars' and Westlife's 'My Love.' Mark stated that this was a form of psychological manipulation to make criminal activity seem normal. They created fake dating app profiles and engaged in romance scams, convincing victims to invest in fraudulent platforms. Penalties for mistakes included deductions from pay; a toilet break longer than two minutes resulted in a 2% reduction, and failing to meet quotas for three months in a row meant no salary. Mark was promised a monthly salary of US$1,200. During one month, Mark's team targeted Singaporeans because their supervisor believed they were more easily tricked due to familiarity with cryptocurrency. A colleague cheated a Singaporean of about US$100,000. Mark himself scammed an American construction worker who refinanced his home and sold his car, losing around US$40,000. Mark reported crying during the scams and expressed guilt over his actions. After six months, Mark was transferred to the syndicate's Philippine branch at Sun Valley Hub in Pampanga. The facility had armed guards and barbed wire. An Indonesian worker who tried to escape was attacked and placed in isolation. In May 2023, Philippine police raided the hub after receiving information from the Indonesian embassy, rescuing over 1,000 workers. Mark then helped identify supervisors and testified in court against the syndicate's managers. Asha Hemrajani, a senior fellow at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies at Nanyang Technological University, pointed out that scam operations are moving from large compounds to smaller, harder-to-detect centers. A February United Nations human rights agency report estimated that at least 300,000 people from 66 countries are forced to work in such centers, with annual global scam profits of about US$64 billion. The report indicated that operations have spread to some Pacific Island countries and West Africa, while Southeast Asian hubs remain well-funded. Singapore has not been unaffected by this problem. Since 2022, nine Singaporeans who may have been exploited in overseas scam centers have received help from Singapore's embassy. In October 2025, arrest warrants were issued for 27 Singaporeans and seven Malaysians suspected of being involved in a Singaporean-led scam ring operating in Cambodia. A Singapore company that recruited job seekers for a scam-linked Cambodian resort was also investigated. Brian Hanley, Asia-Pacific director of the Global Anti-Scam Alliance, stated that recruitment and coordination for scam operations can happen in any economy, and strong domestic systems do not fully protect against transnational crime. Andrey Sawchenko, vice-president for programme impact in Asia-Pacific at the International Justice Mission, noted that workers who are freed might be charged with fraud or immigration violations if they are not formally identified as victims. IJM provides legal support and psychological care. Mark was sent back to Thailand and helped start the United Resilience Network, an advocacy group focused on changes to the system to prevent human trafficking. He shared his story to reduce feelings of guilt toward his victims.
Conclusion
Mark's testimony shows how transnational scam operations continue and change even though authorities are doing more to stop them. The problem still affects people in many countries, including Singapore, and needs countries to work together to address both the criminal networks and the weaknesses that allow trafficking to happen.