Human-trafficking scandal in Myanmar: A message leads to trap of 'selling piglets'

Journalists from Ta Kung Pao have been deeply exploring the Thailand-Myanmar border for days, tracking and reporting on the world's largest online scam operation, revealing its dark secrets from multiple perspectives.

A new wave of online scams is burying us; every citizen could be the next victim! Whenever we open our phones or emails, we are frequently bombarded with messages like "quick money" or "you've won Bla Bla Bla," which are the first steps of telecommunications fraud. Local experts suggest that the prevalence of online scams is related to the post-pandemic economic downturn and the rush for quick money.

Recently, a colleague of mainland Chinese actor Wang Xing revealed a similar experience of being deceived and shared suspicious points that were identified, believing that criminals precisely exploit the mentality of people seeking quick money. The Hong Kong police state that scammers are now targeting a broader range of victims, including students, such as college students on break after exams and unemployed teenagers.

Why has the online scam industry rapidly expanded, transforming remote Myawaddy in Myanmar into a bustling city within a few years? Some Taiwanese scholars believe the rise of online scams is attributed to severe privacy breaches, including personal information such as phone numbers, and is also linked to the downward trend in the socio-economic situation. However, as public awareness of scams increases, the likelihood of falling victim due to a single text message is decreasing. Instead, in the current economic downturn, the group most vulnerable to scammers are those urgently seeking employment opportunities, providing more "business opportunities" for fraudsters. As a relatively unknown actor, Wang Xing fell victim to abduction due to his urgent need for money, leading to an increase in such cases.

Recruitment scams targeting artists with multiple suspicious details

Recently, Wang Xing's colleague, mainland Chinese actor Yu Shutian, shared her own experience of being deceived into going to Thailand by a fake audition notice on Xiaohongshu. She mentioned that towards the end of the year, her audition group suddenly received more information about acting jobs in Thailand and Dubai, raising various red flags, such as changes in registration fees. Yu pointed out that film crews always try to lower actors' pay to maximize profits; after joining all the actor groups, she noticed that there were only four people in the WeChat group for all registered actors, whereas a reasonable notice for a role would typically have twenty to thirty people competing for it. She found this supply-demand situation unreasonable.

Other suspicious details included the absence of specific audition roles, and scripts that were too abstract, not following commercial logic. Yu then politely declined the audition. After Wang Xing's incident was exposed as a scam, she realized that it was a trap, and the audition notices in the actor groups were bait.

Yu noted that as the year-end and Chinese New Year approached, actors' job opportunities dwindled, and she believed that criminals took advantage of this situation to deceive people. "Without jobs or money for the New Year, many people wouldn't be picky about work and could easily fall into traps."

To achieve results, scammers not only target the entertainment industry but also exploit students. The Hong Kong police stated that in recent years, scammers have used recruitment as a pretense to deceive college students on summer break after exams and unemployed youth, posting job ads on social media with enticing phrases like "flexible hours," "high pay," and "quick money," trapping desperate job seekers and swindling money from them.

Scholar: Crime syndicates are like terrorist organizations

A university economist in Hong Kong, who preferred to remain anonymous, told Ta Kung Pao that post-pandemic economic recovery takes time, and facing numerous legitimate businesses closing down, niche industries have emerged. He mentioned that some "pawns" may have turned to niche industries as a last resort to make money, coupled with advances in artificial intelligence (AI) that have enhanced scammers' techniques, making them adept at their crimes with extensive support.

Today, online scams no longer solely rely on phone calls but have evolved into "selling piglets." When those "piglets" misbehave, they could face physical abuse or even have their organs harvested and sold. The scholar believes that such crime syndicates are no different from terrorist organizations and should be taken seriously by all countries. "Online scam cases are on the rise worldwide, not just in Hong Kong; the number of cases is increasing, including in the United States."

Reporter's Note | Embrace of Mae Sot Residents

By Chen Mutong

"Selling piglets" to Myanmar is not a new occurrence, but with Wang Xing's incident, it has become a hot topic. Similarly, news about "selling piglets" is not uncommon, but the Ta Kung Pao journalist's in-depth investigative series retracing the 500-kilometer route of Wang Xing's abduction, delving into the Thailand-Myanmar border, has sparked significant resonance and taken us by surprise.

On the day Wang Xing's news broke, our editorial department was already planning how to follow up. When the journalist boarded a plane overnight, there was even a hint of hesitation from our boss. However, the journalist reassured, "Don't worry, we've done all the necessary groundwork; we know what we're doing!"

After Wang Xing was picked up from the plane in Bangkok and driven towards the remote town of Mae Sot in eastern Thailand, a journey of over 500 kilometers, with over 200 kilometers passing through nearly deserted areas where kidnapping cases were not uncommon. This route had at least three checkpoints, but they seemed merely symbolic. If someone had checked, Wang Xing wouldn't have faced such misfortune.

In the remote town of Mae Sot, separated by a river from Myawaddy on the other side, Ta Kung Pao journalists managed to connect with local residents, who were very surprised by the journalists' visit. Along the so-called borderline, which was less than a meter high wire fence by the Moei River, the journalists conversed with farmers. A grandmother hugged one of the journalists, saying, "I never expected you to come all the way here just to ask me a few questions; it's really special."

The locals mentioned that very few journalists ventured there. On the other side in Myawaddy, thousands of slaves were held captive, and sometimes villagers could hear heart-wrenching cries for help. Occasionally, those people would jump into the river, and the residents claimed that they had never seen anyone resurface alive, especially during hot summer afternoons when security relaxed, and there would be "piglets" risking their lives by jumping into the river, with slim chances of survival. "They should shoot a few missiles over there and wipe them out." suggested the grandmother.

While frontline journalists take risks every day to report, even sneaking across the river to film on the other side, the editorial team in the rear is meticulously planning and writing. Seeing the increasing impact of their hard work, the immense satisfaction of a journalist as a news person outweighs all exhaustion.

Some people may ask why, in this internet age, journalists still go to such lengths to conduct dangerous investigative reporting. The answer is: No matter how advanced AI becomes, it cannot replace news that comes from on-the-ground reporting! We only know that what readers care about is what we need to do; "speak for the public" is not just a slogan but the original intention that news people must adhere to.

(Source: Ta Kung Pao)

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