Three traffickers convicted for cyber-scam slavery

March 2023

Nine people from Indonesia – who IJM helped bring to safety from cyber-scam slavery in Cambodia – have just received justice.

Three traffickers were convicted, and one was ordered to pay compensation to the survivors.

“My wife will soon give birth, so I really depend on this compensation because I did not receive any salary when I worked in Cambodia,” said Moris*, one of the survivors.

Moris and the other Indonesian workers were deceived by false job offers and trafficked to Cambodia in early 2022.

When they arrived, their passports were confiscated and they were trapped in a guarded compound.

They were forced to create fake social media profiles, targeting wealthy, older people worldwide to invest in cryptocurrency.

Some of the workers were physically punished for not meeting their targets.

They were trapped for months until IJM and police brought them to safety and helped them return to Indonesia. The survivors are now moving on with their lives and hoping for better days ahead.

Cyber-scam slavery has become a severe problem in Asia and across the world. Thousands of people have been trafficked to Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and the Philippines.

Supported by people like you, IJM has collaborated with Cambodian National Police and partners to bring more than 100 people like Moris to safety in the past 18 months.

Together, we can stop this exploitation for good.