Trafficked Worker's Account Reveals Coercive Practices in Transnational Scam Operations

Apr 25, 2026, 04:00

Introduction

A Myanmar national, identified only as Mark, provided testimony at the Global Anti-Scam Summit Asia in Singapore in September 2025 regarding his experience of being trafficked into a forced labor scam operation in Dubai and later the Philippines. His account illustrates the methods used by syndicates to coerce workers and the ongoing challenges in combating such transnational crime.

Main Body

Mark, a 31-year-old business graduate, lost his employment as a property sales consultant in Bangkok and subsequently 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 included promises of flight, visa, and accommodation. Upon arrival in Dubai, his passport was confiscated under the pretext 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 were required to assemble daily before 6 a.m. to sing songs such as OneRepublic's 'Counting Stars' and Westlife's 'My Love.' Mark stated that this practice constituted a form of psychological manipulation intended to normalize criminal activity. 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 exceeding two minutes incurred a 2% reduction, and failure to meet quotas for three consecutive months resulted in 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 susceptible due to familiarity with cryptocurrency. A colleague defrauded a Singaporean of approximately US$100,000. Mark himself scammed an American construction worker who refinanced his home and sold his car, losing about 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 featured armed guards and barbed wire. An Indonesian worker who attempted escape was assaulted and placed in solitary confinement. In May 2023, Philippine police raided the hub following a tip-off from the Indonesian embassy, rescuing over 1,000 workers. Mark subsequently assisted in identifying 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, noted that scam operations are shifting from large compounds to smaller, less detectable centers. A February United Nations human rights agency report estimated at least 300,000 people from 66 countries are forced to work in such centers, with annual global scam profits of approximately US$64 billion. The report indicated that operations have spread to some Pacific Island countries and West Africa, while Southeast Asian hubs remain well-resourced. Singapore has not been immune to this phenomenon. Since 2022, nine Singaporeans who may have been exploited in overseas scam centers have received consular assistance. In October 2025, arrest warrants were issued for 27 Singaporeans and seven Malaysians allegedly 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 occur in any economy, and strong domestic systems do not fully shield against transnational crime. Andrey Sawchenko, vice-president for programme impact in Asia-Pacific at the International Justice Mission, noted that freed workers may face fraud or immigration charges if not formally identified as victims. IJM provides legal support and psychological care. Mark was repatriated to Thailand and co-founded the United Resilience Network, an advocacy group focused on systemic change to prevent human trafficking. He shared his story to alleviate feelings of guilt toward his victims.

Conclusion

Mark's testimony underscores the persistence and adaptability of transnational scam operations despite increased enforcement. The phenomenon continues to affect individuals across multiple countries, including Singapore, and requires coordinated international responses to address both the criminal networks and the vulnerabilities that enable trafficking.

Vocabulary Learning

alleviate (v.)
to make something less severe or painful減輕；緩解
Example:He shared his story to alleviate feelings of guilt toward his victims.
coercive (adj.)
using force or threats to make someone do something強迫性的；脅迫的
Example:Trafficked Worker's Account Reveals Coercive Practices in Transnational Scam Operations.
pretext (n.)
a false reason given to hide the real purpose of an action藉口；託詞
Example:Upon arrival in Dubai, his passport was confiscated under the pretext of processing a work visa.
repatriate (v.)
to send someone back to their own country遣返；遣送回國
Example:Mark was repatriated to Thailand and co-founded the United Resilience Network.
susceptible (adj.)
easily influenced or affected by something易受影響的；易感染的
Example:During one month, Mark's team targeted Singaporeans because their supervisor believed they were more susceptible due to familiarity with cryptocurrency.

Sentence Learning

Penalties for mistakes included deductions from pay; a toilet break exceeding two minutes incurred a 2% reduction, and failure to meet quotas for three consecutive months resulted in no salary.
Complex Coordination with Participial Phrases and Nominalization: This sentence employs a semicolon to separate two independent clauses, the second of which contains a coordinated pair of noun phrases with participial modifiers ("a toilet break exceeding two minutes") and nominalization ("failure to meet quotas for three consecutive months"). The structure demonstrates high lexical density and formal register.複雜並列結構帶分詞短語及名詞化：此句使用分號分隔兩個獨立子句，第二子句包含一組並列名詞短語，帶有分詞修飾語（「超過兩分鐘的廁所休息」）及名詞化結構（「連續三個月未能達到配額」）。結構展現高詞彙密度及正式語體。
A February United Nations human rights agency report estimated at least 300,000 people from 66 countries are forced to work in such centers, with annual global scam profits of approximately US$64 billion.
Complex Noun Phrase with Passive Voice and Appositive Prepositional Phrase: The subject is a heavily premodified noun phrase ("A February United Nations human rights agency report") followed by a passive embedded clause ("are forced to work") and an appositive prepositional phrase ("with annual global scam profits...") that adds supplementary information. The sentence compresses multiple data points into a single complex structure.複雜名詞短語帶被動語態及同位介詞短語：主語為多重前置修飾的名詞短語（「一份二月聯合國人權機構報告」），後接被動嵌入式從句（「被迫工作」）及同位介詞短語（「全球年度詐騙利潤約為...」）以補充信息。句子將多項數據壓縮於單一複雜結構中。
Brian Hanley, Asia-Pacific director of the Global Anti-Scam Alliance, stated that recruitment and coordination for scam operations can occur in any economy, and strong domestic systems do not fully shield against transnational crime.
Appositive Noun Phrase with Coordinated Object Clauses: The sentence opens with an appositive noun phrase identifying the speaker, followed by a main clause containing two coordinated that-clauses as objects of "stated". The first clause uses a modal "can occur", while the second uses a negated verb phrase. The appositive provides additional context without a relative pronoun.同位名詞短語帶並列賓語從句：句子以同位名詞短語開頭，說明發言者身份，主句包含兩個並列that從句作為「stated」的賓語。第一個從句使用情態動詞「can occur」，第二個使用否定動詞短語。同位語無需關係代詞即提供額外背景。
Andrey Sawchenko, vice-president for programme impact in Asia-Pacific at the International Justice Mission, noted that freed workers may face fraud or immigration charges if not formally identified as victims.
Appositive with Reduced Conditional Clause: After an appositive noun phrase, the main verb "noted" introduces a that-clause containing a conditional structure reduced to "if not formally identified" (elliptical for "if they are not formally identified"). This reduction demonstrates advanced ellipsis and formal conciseness. The clause also uses the modal "may face".同位語帶縮略條件從句：同位名詞短語後，主要動詞「noted」引導一個that從句，其中包含一個縮略條件結構「if not formally identified」（省略了「if they are not formally identified」）。此縮略展現高階省略及正式簡潔。從句亦使用情態動詞「may face」。
The phenomenon continues to affect individuals across multiple countries, including Singapore, and requires coordinated international responses to address both the criminal networks and the vulnerabilities that enable trafficking.
Parallel Verb Phrases with Nominalization and Relative Clause: The sentence has two coordinated verb phrases ("continues to affect" and "requires") sharing the same subject. The second verb phrase contains a nominalization ("coordinated international responses") followed by an infinitive of purpose ("to address") with a "both...and" structure, and a restrictive relative clause ("that enable trafficking") modifying "vulnerabilities". The sentence exhibits balanced parallelism and formal cohesion.並列動詞短語帶名詞化及關係從句：句子有兩個並列動詞短語（「continues to affect」及「requires」）共享同一主語。第二動詞短語包含名詞化結構（「coordinated international responses」），後接目的不定式（「to address」）帶有「both...and」結構，以及限制性關係從句（「that enable trafficking」）修飾「vulnerabilities」。句子展現平衡並列及正式連貫性。