- With access to hacking software and improved translation software, the scammers, who are themselves victims, target American citizens above the age of 37 by creating fake profiles on largely used US dating apps such as Hinge, Boo, Tinder and POF.com
- The victims were from India, Bangladesh, Pakistan and African countries, including Ethiopia, South Africa, Uganda, Madagascar and Rwanda
The ongoing economic crisis in Sri Lanka had hampered his marketing job and thus, when he heard he could earn US$1,000 a month at an IT job in Thailand, he jumped at the
“By the time I realized my mistake, it was too late to flee,” said Jay*, a marketer by profession. He is one of nearly 100 young Sri Lankan graduates, mostly men, lured to work in the Golden Triangle Special Economic Zone (SEZ) in Laos.
Operating from self-contained condominium compounds with access to hacking software and improved translation software, the scammers, who are themselves victims, target American citizens above the age of 37 by creating fake profiles on largely used US dating apps such as Hinge, Boo, Tinder and POF.com.
After spending days and sometimes even weeks, winning their ‘trust and love,’ leading to increased intimacy and heightened emotions, the scammers would convince victims to pour out money into a crypto coin called Tether, other bogus investment platforms or gambling sites.
“All the little bosses we report to are Chinese. But no one knows who the big boss is,” Jay said, describing himself as being at the bottom of a shadowy, seemingly endless chain of command involving members like himself, small team leaders, big team leaders, supervisors and country leaders.
Poverty has driven many to seek ostensibly well-paying jobs in the Golden Triangle Special Economic Zone (SEZ). The victims were from India, Bangladesh, Pakistan and African countries, including Ethiopia, South Africa, Uganda, Madagascar and Rwanda.
Falling prey
Jay described how he ended up at what he termed as the ‘sin city’. After being duped by a Sri Lankan friend, Jay in his search of greener pastures, flew to Bangkok in mid-December 2022 with a 3-month Thai tourist visa, clearly aware that employment opportunities were doubtful. His Sri Lankan friend, also a victim of the racket, received a commission of US$ 500 for setting Jay up. He assured Jay that the work visa will be sorted out. But, it never did.
After being picked up from Bangkok International Airport by two individuals, Jay was taken to a 3-star hotel called Jazzotel, 25 km from the airport -- to stay until his travel documents to Laos were sorted out. However, even at this point, he had no idea what his job entailed, who his employer was or where he would be working. “It was when I received no clear response every time I asked about the job that I got the feeling that something fishy was going on,” Jay said.
During the two-day stay at the hotel, he met another young Sri Lankan engineer, a Pakistani and an Ethiopian, who were also there for the same purpose. They were guided along each step of the journey by the organisers via Whatsapp. None of them knew what was awaiting them.
Two days later, the four of them were taken to their intended destination, the Golden Triangle in Tonpheung -- a riverside district known as ‘Little China’ in the Bokeo Province, Laos. They took a domestic flight from the Bangkok International Airport to Mae Fah Luang - Chiang Rai International Airport from where two others including their team leader Roo* picked them up and accompanied them to the border.
Then they crossed the Mekong River into Laos in a speed boat and later the East Asian team leaders escorted them to a condominium compound. Notably, Immigration officials at both the exiting point in Thailand and entry point into Laos neither stopped nor questioned them. “The team leaders seemed to be well acquainted with the immigration officials. It was a smooth process with our passports being stamped with the Laos visit visa,” Jay said.
The condominium consisted of newly-built dormitories, a supermarket, canteen, tennis court, badminton court, basketball court and even spas, all catering to the needs of the scammers. Jay soon learnt that he was a victim of an organised human trafficking network, which had ensnared hundreds of other young, educated men and women with nearly all of them having a university degree.
Thereafter Jay and the others had their passports taken away; they were given new names, eight iPhones with apple licenses, eight Sim cards and recharge cards. They were then asked to install dating apps -- Hinge in three phones, Boo in two phones, social media apps such as Telegram, TextMe, and WhatsApp on two of the other phones and use the remaining phone strictly for official communication purposes. “We were given instructions to find photos of good-looking, rich, travel-loving individuals on Instagram to be used for our fake profiles on the dating apps,” Jay said.
https://www.dailymirror.lk/breaking...camming-Westerners-via-dating-apps/108-253755
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