Most Australians have been targeted by a scam attempt, from spam text messages to intricate love fraud. The scams have cost us billions.
But behind these attacks is a highly organised and secretive industry – fuelled by human trafficking.
It’s believed hundreds of thousands of people are being held against their will in so-called “scam factories” across South East Asia, including in Myanmar, Cambodia and the Philippines. Many of these factories are run by Chinese-linked gangs operating in border regions.
Ben Yeo has seen first-hand how these compounds operate. In early 2024, he was kidnapped and trapped in a Cambodian scam factory.
Today, Ben Yeo on how he escaped the scam compounds, and why so many others struggle to get out.
Socials: Stay in touch with us on Instagram
Guest: Ben Yeo, ambassador for the newly formed Australian International Counter Slavery Alliance (AICSA)
Background reading: Scam Factories
Photo: Valeria Mongelli/Getty Images
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.