Many Chinese people have been deceived and lured into Southeast Asian scam zones to work in telecommunication fraud, with only a lucky few managing to escape alive. Chinese Red Star News reported that among a group of Chinese citizens scammed into working in a Cambodian fraud park, some were brutally abused, some were only able to get out after their families paid 280,000 RMB (165,600 MYR), and some remain missing.
In September this year, eight men from Sichuan received a message about “hiring more than 10 carpenters for hotel renovation work in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.” Because they were experienced carpenters—six of whom had already worked abroad before—they applied for the job.
Unexpectedly, after the group of eight arrived locally, they discovered they had been scammed. According to Lu, one of those rescued and brought back to China, their imagined “hotel renovation site” turned out to be a scam compound surrounded by high walls and iron fences. The “project manager” revealed his true colors, confiscated their phones, withheld their passports, and subjected them to violent beatings.
Among them, three who couldn’t type were beaten and then “sent back to China”—they were escorted out of the compound and, after their phones and passports were returned, were able to go home. Lu stated that he himself worked in five scam compounds and was sold four times in succession. In the end, he managed to contact his family using someone else’s phone via social media. A rescue team extracted him from another park. His family spent a total of 280,000 RMB for his release and return.
Lu said the remaining four are still missing. Currently, the police in various parts of Sichuan have initiated investigations.