KUALA LUMPUR – When 25-year-old Malaysian tour guide Francis Liaw (not his real name) was offered a stint as a money changer in Laos in 2021, he jumped at the chance to earn a high salary for six months.
But his excitement became anguish when his new employer turned out to be a human trafficking syndicate that forced him to be an online scammer in Laos and Myanmar for more than a year, living under the watchful eyes of his minders and getting punished for the smallest offences.
Already a subscriber? Log in
Read the full story and more at $9.90/month
Get exclusive reports and insights with more than 500 subscriber-only articles every month
ST One Digital
$9.90/month
No contract
ST app access on 1 mobile device
Unlock these benefits
All subscriber-only content on ST app and straitstimes.com
Easy access any time via ST app on 1 mobile device
E-paper with 2-week archive so you won't miss out on content that matters to you
