7 Months Inside an Online Scam Labor Camp

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2023/12/17/world/asia/myanmar-cyber-scam.html

7 Months Inside an Online Scam Labor Camp::A man was abducted by a Chinese gang and forced to work in a scam operation. He gathered financial information, photos and videos and shared the material with The New York Times.

77 points · 7 comments · view on lemmy.world

7 Comments

Oha@lemmy.ohaa.xyz · 10 pts · 2y (1 reply)

Pay/Accountwalled

jet@hackertalks.com · 5 pts · 2y

https://archive.is/p5rqi

Rice_Daddy@lemmy.world · 7 pts · 2y

Brave man. Can't even begin to imagine what he must've gone through.

DoctorButts@kbin.melroy.org · 6 pts · 2y (1 reply)

A good read. I can't think of any specific examples, but I feel like I have read several other similar accounts from abducted persons elsewhere.

The cynic in me thinks that 'Dragon' could possibly be an extended part of the scam rather than a virtuous hero. Lu's parents still sent him $37,000 after the rescue was over.

jet@hackertalks.com · 1 pts · 2y

yeah, dragon even admits to paying off the military.

The big plus of Dragon is that they are endorsed by the Chinese police, so even though they pay money, they have a better chance of actually getting their family member back.

tun@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 2y

There, the government is powerless. Thugs rule with virtual impunity, backed by the local ethnic armed groups that they pay for security.

There are different armed groups. Some of them have a business relationship with the Military officials. Border Guard Force (BGF) is one of them.

In northern Shan state of Myanmar, Northern Alliance (alliance between 3 EThnic armed groups) handed over the similar gang to the Chinese government after capturing the cities.

Mr_Dr_Oink@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 2y

I genuinely read that 3 times as 7 "moths" inside an online scam labour camp. And was like, "shit, the news is really scraping for stories today!"