PROTECT YOURSELF
Take steps to protect yourself and your beloved ones
Job advertisement
While writing this text, we wish to emphasize that it concerns people who were lured with the promise of secure employment and good pay, and then were abducted and forced to work. We completely distinguish these people from those who voluntarily enter the compounds already possessing deviant behavior. With this method the victims receive an ad promising good pay, most often for a position in a call center or the IT industry — in almost all cases the advertisement concerns Thailand as country where the company is situated. Very often the city named in the ad is Mae Sot, because of its proximity to Myanmar. However, there are also cases where the victim receives an ad for Bangkok; upon arrival they are told they must go to Mae Sot to sign with the company; that evening people are kidnapped and forcibly taken across the border. This is the method by which the greatest number of people have been abducted. Victims of fake job ads most often come from the following nationalities: China, Ethiopia, Kenya, Indonesia. The number of victims from countries neighboring Myanmar is low, due to local residents’ awareness of the threat. The presence of Chinese victims can be explained by the size of the country.
Promises of quick wealth
The difference between this type of lure and the others is that here people are recruited mainly from groups that already have criminal habits. The following groups are targeted: gambling addicts, drug addicts, thieves, fraudsters and similar groups who are already accustomed to making a living through criminal behavior. Many internal links are observed between the listed groups and what the scam schemes offer. For example, in much of the scam compounds there are established casinos that provide an opportunity to spend money obtained through criminal means. The vicious cycle that forms provides addicts with a way to satisfy their urges.
Recruitment via social networks
Social media is the second most powerful tool for recruiting victims among innocent and uninformed groups. Techniques that are part of so-called “influencer marketing” are mainly used — exploiting a high standard of living, possessions, and excessive showiness. The example we provide is from a real profile of a person trying to recruit “staff.”
Through a romance scam
The victim is attracted using the usual scheme employed in romance scams. Most often, after a long chat filled with promises and hope, the person behind the profile offers a job. Because the victim’s trust has already been established, they readily respond to the offer. A direct meeting may also be arranged, after which the victim can be abducted. The final step is analogous to the fake job-ad scheme.
Stay Calm
Remaining calm is of utmost importance in reducing the existing risks while you are inside the compound. Try to follow the captors’ instructions while moving on to the other two steps — determining your location and establishing contact with the authorities. Remember that the most important thing at this moment is to minimize to zero the possibility of aggression being exercised against you.
One of the techniques for responding in such a situation is to express passivity — you are required to remain as calm as possible and to avoid being completely silent. This means that while speaking with armed and aggressive individuals, you should try to establish some form of human connection without showing weakness. The moment you reveal fear, you create conditions for the other side to react instinctively in the “aggressor–victim” model, i.e., to try to flex their muscles.
Despite the complexity of the situation, do not feel lost — in fact, the most logical outcome is that you will return home safely. It is very important for us to mention that we are constantly available for you in case you have the opportunity to communicate with us.
Daily Routine to Adapt to the Situation
One of the key approaches that will help you maintain calmness. The goal is to define a routine that you will follow during your days in the scam compound. Upon waking up, perform short physical exercises; this is extremely useful for staying in good condition. As the day begins, the conditions may encourage violent decisions and discomfort. Regardless of your emotional state, under no circumstances should you refuse the food that is offered to you, no matter the amount or taste. At this moment, you are required to stay alert and resilient so that you can adequately respond to any change in the situation.
Remember: by following the steps mentioned above, you are surely increasing your chances of success. The very fact that you are reading this text right now should suggest to you that even if you are in the most hopeless situation, there are people who care about you and will not leave you. Stay strong!
Determine location
Determining your location is one of the so-called external steps that help enable productive communication with the authorities and increase your chances of getting out soon. Realistically, you will have trouble understanding exactly where you are during the first days. Of course, the conditions in which you are held remain a major factor. In many facilities there are GPS jammers, so even if you have your own phone it may be impossible to establish an exact location.
Landmarks of the external environment that you remembered during your transport to the site may help identify you.
We do not advise you to completely cut off communication with the other victims. However, it is very important to keep in mind that many of the people inside are not victims but individuals who already exhibit criminal behavior. Before you start a contact with someone, make sure they have also been trapped. People who have been there longer are likely to know the location of the place, what it is called publicly, and who it belongs to.
A weakness of the scam compounds is that, despite the harsh conditions, they are quite often located in parks where there are betting facilities and clubs. Sometimes this is done so that money obtained through the scam can be spent in those venues. Try to find out whether such facilities exist at the site in question. This is exactly a niche you can use to establish the location. Of course, to get this far you must remain calm and ensure the captors view you as someone willing to cooperate.
Once you have determined your location, you must provide that information to the embassy or consulate of your country.
Get in touch with authorities
Reporting the emergency you are in is the final phase of the steps that should be taken. It is good to have the location of the place, but even if you are not sure, notifying the authorities of the country you are in is of essential importance.
Below we have listed phone numbers and email addresses of the embassies of countries whose citizens are often targeted for kidnappings in compounds.
Please, if you need help, do not hesitate to contact us!
China
Embassy of China in Myanmar (Yangon)
Tel.: +95-1-8221280, +95-1-8221281
- Emergency line (after hours): +95-9-43209656
- Email: chinaemb_mm@mfa.gov.cn / yangon@csm.mfa.gov.cn
Thailand
Royal Thai Embassy in Yangon
- Tel.: (951) 226 721 / 226 728 / 226 824
- Consular email: thaiconsular.ygn@mfa.go.th
- Alternative email: thaiembassyygn@gmail.com
India
Embassy of India in Yangon
- Tel.: +95-1-8388412, +95-1-8243972,
- Emergency consular line +95 95419602
- Email: amb.yangon@mea.gov.in (official contact)
Bangladesh
Embassy of Bangladesh in Yangon
- Tel.: +95-1-515275, +95-1-526144
- Email: bdootygn@mptmail.net.mm (publicly listed)
Nigeria
- Nigeria has no resident embassy in Myanmar. The accredited mission is the Nigerian Embassy in Bangkok, Thailand (also responsible for Myanmar).
- Tel.: +66 2391 0833 / 0835 (Bangkok Embassy)
- In emergencies: Nigerian citizens should contact this mission and/or the Nigerian Ministry of Foreign Affairs directly.
Indonesia
Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia – Yangon, Myanmar
- Phone: (+95) (1) 254-465/254-469,
- Email: yangon.kbri@kemlu.go.id; also info@kbriyangon.org
- Address: No. 100, Pyidaungsu Yeiktha Road, Dagon Township, Yangon
Ethiopia — Embassy in India (New Delhi)
- Address: 7/50-G, Satya Marg, Chanakyapuri, New Delhi 110021, India – nearest mission
- Telephone: +91 11 2611 9513 / +91 11 2611 9514
- Email(s): delethem@yahoo.com, ambassador.newdelhi@mfa.gov.et
Kenya — Embassy in Thailand (Bangkok)
Email: kenyaembassybangkok@yahoo.com
Address: 62 Soi 5 Thonglor, Sukhumvit 55 Road, Klongtan, Wattana, Bangkok 10110, Thailand – nearest mission
Telephone: +66 (0)2-712 5721 / +66 (0)2-3910906
NEED HELP?
We are here to help
In case you or a loved one are being forced to work in a scam compound and you need help, do not hesitate to contact us. We are here, ready to assist, so that you can soon find your path to freedom.
ABOUT US
The website was created with the aim of informing the public about the growing problem, attempting to analyze the roots of the pandemic. By revealing the people, companies, and institutions behind this issue, society can gain a broader understanding of the extent of the harm and the reasons why it continues to grow.
We would like to emphasize that the informative nature of this page is aimed at raising awareness of the issue among a wider part of society. The website is not maintained by an NGO, but the people running it firmly support all organizations fighting against the problem.