The United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has issued a warning about fake job postings luring people to Southeast Asia, where “victims are held against their will and forced to perpetrate international cryptocurrency scams on unsuspecting victims.”
These scam factories usually display advertisements on social media and lure their victims by promising well-paying jobs. However, upon arrival, the victims’ passports are taken and forced into labor by deceiving innocent people. Furthermore, if the workers were unsuccessful, they reportedly faced torture, ill-treatment, and murder or being sold to another gang.
Warning of FBI Cases
According to the press launch, the FBI warned US citizens and individuals living or traveling abroad to be wary of false job advertisements linked to labor trafficking. The intelligence service said the threat actors are targeting victims, mainly in Asia, in job fraud schemes by posting false job advertisements on social media and online recruitment websites.
The FBI stated that the fake jobs could range from tech support, call center customer service, to beauty salon technicians. Lucrative benefits, salaries, and accommodations are offered in order to attract victims.
“Often throughout the process, the location of the job is changed from the location advertised. When job seekers arrive in the foreign country, criminal actors use multiple means to coerce them into committing cryptocurrency investment schemes, such as confiscating passports and travel documents, threatening violence, and using violence.”
The victims are then forced to pay mounting debts – travel fees, accommodation, and food. When the debt gets worse is when it is often sold to other criminal groups.
The FBI has detailed some steps to avoid falling into such traps. This includes researching the advertising company before accepting a job offer, as well as paying attention to “ambiguous language” about the company or limited employment details. Job seekers should also be wary of ads with unusually high salaries and many perks.
Crypto cheat rings
The latest warning comes amid numerous reports of cryptocurrency scams using enslaved individuals. In November last year, the Cambodian government found itself facing an intense backlash for allegedly turning a blind eye to Chinese crime syndicates who human-smuggled nearly 100,000 migrant workers and forced them into online scams, including scams. Fraudulent initial coin offerings.
Recently, the Philippine National Police (PNP) rescued 1,000 human trafficking victims who were forced to work up to 18 hours a day due to cryptocurrency scams earlier this month. After the fraud ring was breached, the authorities arrested 12 suspected ringleaders.
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