Inside the ‘living hell’ of Cambodia’s scam operations

A motorist passing a building previously shut down by the police, in Sihanoukville in Preah Sihanouk province. Dozens of casinos sprang up in recent years in Sihanoukville following Chinese investment, making the city a hub for gamblers and drawing in international crime groups. As travel restrictions bit during the pandemic, these groups shifted their focus from gambling to scams. — AFP

SIHANOUKVILLE, Cambodia: Trafficked, beaten and locked up far from his family in China, Lu was one of thousands of people in Cambodia forced to operate online scams to line their captors’ pockets.

Covid shutdowns had left the builder out of work, so when he heard he could earn US$2,000 (RM9,433) a month on a construction project in Cambodia, he jumped at the chance.