'Modern slavery'
Human trafficking victims, pictured in Thailand's Tak province in February, show scars left by electric shocks and beatings. (Reuters)
Criminal networks amassed such enormous profits that they were able to sustain -- and even expand -- these sprawling compounds. One man who claimed to have perpetrated scams recalled that a deep, resonant beat from a Chinese-style drum would echo through the compound each time a deposit of over $100,000 was received.
The profits are built not only on the victims of the scams but also on the suffering of the perpetrators. Many described how they were forced to work more than 12 hours a day and were subjected to electric shocks and beatings if they failed to produce results.
"We don't like to work like that," the man said with regret. "I'm a Buddhist, so I believe in karma. I don't want to steal anyone's money."
"Some people willingly participate in the scams, but many are forced to work against their will," said Ivan Franceschini, a lecturer at the University of Melbourne who studies online scam labor. "It is modern slavery."