Summary

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***This PKG/segment contains video from AFPTV that is only cleared for use within the pkg Affiliates may not cut this video out of the pkg for individual use***

--SUPERS--
0:24 - 0:26
CY (courtesy)

0:47 - 49
CY (name font)

2:29 - 2:33
CY

2:33 - 2:42
James Barnacle
FBI Special Agent

3:02 - 3:33
Ivan Watson
CNN Senior International Correspondent

3:48 - 3:50
Rakesh (name font)

5:13 - 5:18
Mechelle Moore
Global Alms

4:39 - 4:42
Rakesh

5:36 - 5:44
Maxar

5:52 - 5:59
Tawee Sodsong
Thai Minister of Justice

6:10 - 6:20
AFPTV

--LEAD IN--
CRIMINAL GANGS, APPARENTLY BASED IN WAR-TORN MYANMAR, NEAR THE THAILAND BORDER, ARE SCAMMING MILLIONS OF DOLLARS ONLINE FROM THOUSANDS OF UNSUSPECTING AMERICANS
AND THEY'RE FORCING HUMAN TRAFFICKING VICTIMS TO DO THEIR DIRTY WORK
C-N-N'S IVAN WATSON FILED THIS REPORT FROM THE THAILAND BORDER

--REPORTER PKG-AS FOLLOWS--
CY: It’s been a living hell day in and day out
THIS IS ONE OF TENS OF THOUSANDS OF U-S VICTIMS OF A FAST-GROWING NEW FORM OF FINANCIAL FRAUD
Special Agent James Barnacle, FBI: The bad guys are getting good and they’re getting better
SCAMS RUN BY GANGS WORKING IN A WAR-TORN CORNER OF SOUTHEAST ASIA
Ivan Watson, CNN Senior International Correspondent: Is this of modern-day slavery?
Mechelle Moore, Global Alms: Definitely Yes and no one could do anything about it
USING FAKE ONLINE PROFILES AND MODERN-DAY SLAVES…
Ivan Watson, CNN Senior International Correspondent: How did the bosses keep you working?
Rakesh: They are treating us like slaves If you are not working, they will give punishment
IN NORTHERN CALIFORNIA, CY IS PIECING TOGETHER HIS LIFE
CY: I can never forget or forgive myself losing that kind of money
HE ASKS TO REMAIN ANONYMOUS TO PROTECT HIS FAMILY AFTER HE LOST MORE THAN A MILLION DOLLARS TO A SCAM CALLED PIG BUTCHERING IT STARTED IN OCTOBER 2021, WITH A TEXT MESSAGE FROM A STRANGER
CY: This person texted me out of the blue from WhatsApp
Ivan Watson, CNN Senior International Correspondent: What was the name of the person you were communicating with?
CY: She claims her name is Jessica
THE TWO QUICKLY BECAME FRIENDS… SHE SHARED PHOTOS… AND CY TALKED ABOUT THE PAIN OF CARING FOR HIS DYING FATHER
AFTER NEARLY A MONTH, THE CONVERSATION TURNED TO MONEY
CY: She started to introduce me into cryptocurrency, trading gold using cryptocurrency
JESSICA SHOWED CY HOW TO INVEST… BY INSTALLING A TRADING APP ON HIS PHONE THAT HE SAYS LOOKED LEGIT
CY: Around this point is when she was instructing me or showing me how to deposit my money into Cryptocurrency
Ivan Watson, CNN Senior International Correspondent: You thought in just a matter of weeks you doubled your money?
CY: Yeah
LITTLE DID HE KNOW, HE WAS A VICTIM, PUMPING MONEY INTO A SOPHISTICATED CON
FOR THE SCAMMERS, A PIG FATTENED UP FOR THE SLAUGHTER
CY: I Logged back in The account was gone What the heck happened? What did I do?! That’s 30 years of my wife and my life, building up this wealth
PANICKING, CY BEGGED JESSICA FOR HELP
CY: Please help me I don’t know what else I can do I don’t have any more money I cannot borrow anything else I lost everything!
BUT JESSICA DISAPPEARED… AND PROBABLY NEVER EVEN EXISTED
Special Agent James Barnacle, FBI: The victim thinks that they're making an investment opportunity doesn't understand that they're buying cryptocurrency, transferring it to the bad guy
THE FBI SAYS IT'S SEEN EXPONENTIAL GROWTH IN LOSSES DUE TO PIG BUTCHERING SCAMS WITH MORE THAN 20,000 VICTIMS REPORTED SO FAR THIS YEAR
Special Agent James Barnacle, FBI: This is the professionalization of fraud services
AN ORGANIZATION REPRESENTING SCAM VICTIMS TRACKED THEIR CRYPTO TRANSFERS HALFWAY AROUND THE WORLD TO THIS BORDER REGION IN MYANMAR
Ivan Watson, CNN Senior International Correspondent: US scam victims say they’ve been able to trace their money to places like this This walled compound across the river is just inside the territory of Myanmar And that is where we’re learning about the conditions inside That some people who work there, they say they were forced against their will to try to scam Americans out of their hard-earned money In conditions that they describe as amounting to modern day slavery
THIS COMPOUND IS WHERE AN INDIAN MAN NAMED RAKESH SAYS HE WAS FORCED TO WORK FOR MORE THAN 11 MONTHS WITHOUT PAY FOR A CHINESE CRIMINAL GANG -the guards have spotted us- UNTIL THEY RECENTLY RELEASED HIM BACK TO THAILAND
Ivan Watson, CNN Senior International Correspondent: Where was the job supposed to be?
Rakesh: They told for me in Bangkok
HE TOO WAS THE VICTIM OF A SCAM
RAKESH -WHO DOESN’T WANT TO BE IDENTIFIED- SAYS HE FIRST FLEW TO THAILAND, FOR WHAT HE THOUGHT WAS AN IT JOB INSTEAD, HE SAYS HE WAS TRICKED INTO CROSSING THE BORDER TO MYANMAR, WHERE A CHINESE GANGSTER TOLD HIM TO WORK… OR ELSE
Ivan Watson, CNN Senior International Correspondent: He threatened to kill you?
Rakesh: Yeah He warned me like that
AND THE JOB? SPEND 16 HOURS A DAY ON SOCIAL MEDIA… TARGETING AMERICANS WITH A FAKE PROFILE
Rakesh: They provided us I got a Russian girl With using a Russian girl fake profile, I need to scam people
POSING AS A SALT LAKE CITY BASED INVESTOR NAMED KLARA SEMONOV, RAKESH FLIRTED ONLINE WITH POTENTIAL TARGETS
Rakesh: 70 to 80% fall for fake love
RAKESH SHOWS SECRETLY FILMED IMAGES OF WHAT AT FIRST GLANCE, SEEMS TO BE AN ORDINARY OFFICE
BUT HE SAYS THE BOSSES ROUTINELY PUNISHED WORKERS… FORCING THEM TO DO HUNDREDS OF SQUATS…
AND BEATING THEM, IF THEY DIDN’T PRODUCE
Ivan Watson, CNN Senior International Correspondent: And you’ve helped rescue people who were trapped inside behind the barbed wire of that very compound?
Mechelle Moore, Global Alms: Yes
MECHELLE MOORE IS ONE OF A GROUP OF AID WORKERS BASED IN THAILAND… WHO HAVE HELPED RESCUE HUNDREDS OF VICTIMS OF TRAFFICKING LIKE RAKESH OVER THE LAST 18 MONTHS
Ivan Watson, CNN Senior International Correspondent: What are the measures that are being used to keep them there?
Mechelle Moore, Global Alms: Lots of psychological manipulation, coercion, physical torture
SHE DRIVES ME ALONG THE BORDER…
Mechelle Moore, Global Alms: There’s a guard tower just there, green roof
SHOWING COMPOUNDS ONLY A STONE’S THROW AWAY… WHERE SHE SAYS TRAFFICKED VICTIMS ARE FORCED TO WORK AS ONLINE SCAMMERS
Mechelle Moore, Global Alms: This is modern slavery, and its right under everybody’s nose
SATELLITE IMAGES… SHOW RAPID CONSTRUCTION OF THESE COMPOUNDS ON THE BORDER TERRITORY OF MYANMAR… OVER JUST THREE YEARS
THAILAND’S MINISTER OF JUSTICE LABELS THESE FACILITIES AS HUBS FOR CRIMINAL SCAMMING ACTIVITY
Tawee Sodsong, Thai Minister of Justice: These scammers have to use telephone signals to communicate… that’s why they base themselves near the Thai border, so they can use Thailand’s telephone network
BUT HE SAYS THAILAND HAS NO JURISDICTION TO CRACK DOWN ON SUSPECTED CRIMINALS OPERATING ACROSS THE BORDER IN MYANMAR
C-N-N ASKED THE MILITARY GOVERNMENT IN MYANMAR WHY IT HASN’T TAKEN ACTION AGAINST ALLEGED CRIMINAL GANGS OPERATING ON ITS TERRITORY… AND DID NOT RECEIVE AN ANSWER
SO FOR NOW, NO ONE'S GOING TO STOP THIS POISONOUS CYCLE OF EXPLOITATION WHERE TRAFFICKED VICTIMS IN SOUTHEAST ASIA WORK LIKE SLAVES TO SCAM AMERICANS OUT OF THEIR SAVINGS
IVAN WATSON, C-N-N, ON THE THAI BORDER WITH MYANMAR
-----END-----CNNSCRIPT-----

--KEYWORD TAGS--
MYANMAR SCAMS AMERICANS UNITED STATES ASIA SAVINGS NORTH AMERICA WORLD MONEY CRYPTOCURRENCY