PROJECT: REITERATING WARNING AGAINST WORK SCAMS IN MYANMAR - MECHANISMS FOR HUMAN TRAFFICKING

Isabel Spies
Nov 4
6 min read

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Work scams that serve as a front for human trafficking have become a serious global problem,

and one of the most alarming manifestations is the emerging phenomenon of forced scamming compounds in places

such as Shwe Kokko and Myawaddy in Myanmar.

These schemes often masquerade as legitimate overseas employment opportunities, lure workers from abroad with high‑salary promises, then trap them in abusive forced‑labour environments where their primary job is to run online scams.

While many documented victims are from Asia and Africa, any citizen, including South Africans, could fall prey to such schemes if they engage in false recruitment channels or travel under misleading job offers.

The danger is real and escalating.

THE CONTEXT IN MYANMAR:

THE GEOGRAPHY AND GOVERNANCE ENVIRONMENT:

Myanmar has become a key hub for human trafficking and forced labour via online scam compounds for a variety of reasons:

Border regions such as Myawaddy (on the Thai–Myanmar border) and Shwe Kokko (in Kayin State) have weak governance, contested control, and limited rule of law.
Armed groups, self‑administered zones and militia forces provide a de facto permissive environment for criminal syndicates.
Post‑2021 military coup, Myanmar has seen further governance collapse, which has increased opportunities for illicit operations.
These zones are used by criminal groups (often Chinese‑linked triads or corridors) to establish “scam centres” or “fraud factories” where trafficked labour is exploited.

WHAT THE OPERATIONS LOOK LIKE:

The victims are recruited under false pretences – job offers for call‑centre work, customer‑service roles, social‑media moderation, or IT jobs promising high salaries.
After arrival, the victims are locked into compounds, their passports confiscated, phones monitored, and often forced to work long hours (12‑20 hours a day) on scams: romance scams, fake investment/cryptocurrency scams, gambling/fake casino operations.
The compounds may resemble business parks or are disguised as legitimate offices, but effectively function as forced‑labour camps.
The traffickers demand repayment of recruitment/travel “fees” or impose inflated “debt” which further traps victims.
Victims are threatened, abused, sometimes tortured, and their ability to escape is severely restricted.
The “product” is illicit profit: the workers scam international targets, generating huge illicit revenues for the criminal syndicates.

SCALE OF OPERATIONS:

A thematic brief by the Overseas Development Institute (ODI) notes that one compound (the “KK Zone”) is estimated to hold 10,000 enslaved workers, and many other such zones operate across Myanmar.
Reports estimate hundreds of thousands of people may be trapped in such scam factories in Southeast Asia (including Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia).
The trend of forced scamming is increasingly recognised as a form of modern slavery.

THE FOCUS ON SOUTH AFRICANS:

While many documented victims are from Asia, Africa (e.g., Kenya, Ethiopia) and elsewhere, South Africans are also at risk.

South African job‑seekers may respond to attractive overseas job adverts: high salary, flexible location, remote or abroad, often via social media or messaging apps.
Recruitment agents may promise roles in Thailand, China, Myanmar, or Southeast Asia more broadly, sometimes under the guise of “digital marketing”, “call‑centre customer‑service”, “crypto investment assistant”, etc.
After arrival, the job location or conditions may change (moved to Myanmar, cut off from external communication).
Because South Africans may already carry debt or be seeking opportunities abroad, their vulnerability to “too good to be true” offers is heightened.
Further, limited awareness of the specific Myanmar scams among South African audiences increases the risk of unsuspected recruitment.

SPECIFIC RISKS FOR SOUTH AFRICANS:

LACK OF TARGETED WARNINGS:
- Most campaigns focus on East Africa, Asia; fewer resources target Southern Africa, so South Africans may lack situational awareness.
VISA/IMMIGRATION VULNERABILITIES:
- South Africans travelling on tourist or business visas may not have strong labour protections; recruiters may operate illegally, removing oversight.
DISTANCE AND JURISDICTION:
- If trafficked to Myanmar, South African consular assistance may be limited (given the complexity of Myanmar’s political situation), making rescue or repatriation challenging.
FINANCIAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL EXPLOITATION:
- Traffickers may impose debts (travel fees, equipment costs) which victims must “work off”, leading to forced labour.
ONLINE FRAUD COMPLICITY RISK:
- Because the victim’s “job” is often running scams, a trafficked South African may be coerced into activities that put them at legal risk in South Africa or abroad.

LEGAL AND INSTITUTIONAL FRAMEWORKS:

MYANMAR'S EFFORTS:

The Myanmar government has acknowledged that foreigners are being deceived into “online scamming and online gambling” and forced to work in those sectors.
Awareness‑raising campaigns, hotlines and victim support programmes are in place (though capacity is limited).
However, enforcement is weak given the conflict‑governance environment; large areas remain outside effective control.

INTERNATIONAL/REGIONAL FRAMEWORKS:

The trafficking into scam centres is increasingly described as modern slavery and is under the mandate of international anti‑trafficking conventions.
The U.S. Treasury and other agencies have sanctioned entities (e.g., militias in Myanmar) for facilitating these operations.
Australia, the UK, the UN and others have issued reports and alerts on “forced scamming”.

SOUTH AFRICA'S RESPONSIBILITIES:

South Africa is bound by international conventions (e.g., the UN Palermo Protocol) and has domestic legislation against trafficking (such as the Prevention and Combating of Trafficking in Persons Act).
South African authorities (police, labour inspectorate, Department of Home Affairs, Dept of Employment & Labour) have roles in prevention, investigation, and victim support.
However, given the cross‑border nature (South Africans being trafficked to Myanmar), the challenge lies in early prevention (before leaving SA) and consular support abroad.

The phenomenon of forced scamming compounds in Myanmar, where human trafficking meets cyber fraud,

is a rapidly growing and extremely dangerous form of modern slavery.

While much of the documented victim profile is Asian or from East Africa, the model is universal and

South Africans are vulnerable, particularly given the lure of high‑pay jobs abroad, often via social media.

Prevention is key: thorough vetting of job offers, avoiding upfront payments, verifying legal status,

maintaining regular contact with someone at home, and being aware of warning signs can all reduce risk.

Governments and civil society must treat forced online scam labour as a high‑risk trafficking modality,

and South Africa must buttress its preventive, protective and rehabilitative frameworks accordingly.

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