NATIONAL NEWS - Dozens of young South Africans are trapped in Myanmar, their dreams of a better life shattered after falling victim to elaborate social media job scams promising high-paying positions abroad.
The Witness reports that at least 41 South Africans are believed to be stranded along the volatile border with Thailand, caught in the crossfire of a brutal civil conflict and under the control of human trafficking syndicates.
According to Brave to Love, a South African non-profit organisation assisting in their rescue, the victims are being held in the notorious KK Park compound, where they endure horrific conditions under constant threat.
Lured by false promises
Brave to Love spokesperson Emma van der Walt yesterday said: “They lure them with lucrative job offers and money. When they reach Thailand, their passports are confiscated and they are ferried across the border into Myanmar.”
She told The Witness that the victims had been trafficked by criminal syndicates operating out of Namibia, targeting desperate South Africans and Namibians through online adverts for supposed tech and customer service jobs in Thailand.
Once in Southeast Asia, they are smuggled by boat across the border river into Myanmar, with their passports seized, rendering them illegal in the country.
Van der Walt said many victims are forced to work long hours running online scam operations for transnational criminal groups.
How the scam works
The scam often begins on Facebook, with adverts offering salaries from R15 000 per month, paid flights and promises of career growth in Asia.
“The interviews are professional and convincing, often conducted by well-spoken, English-speaking women. They target young people between 18 and 35 years old, especially those with good English and IT skills,” she said.
Flights are booked from OR Tambo, Cape Town International and King Shaka International airports within days of a candidate submitting their documents.
Once they land in Thailand, their nightmare begins.
Some victims have managed to buy their freedom by paying ransom money, while others have been rescued through co-ordinated efforts between NGOs and international partners.
“Since March, about 23 victims have been repatriated. We’re working with local groups to provide food, counselling and transport to help survivors cross back over the border,” Van der Walt said.
Growing crisis
Myanmar’s civil war has created a dangerous environment for those trapped. Some South Africans have reportedly been moved even further, to Cambodia, where similar operations are run.
Van der Walt warned that social media, dating platforms and even church networks are being used to recruit unsuspecting jobseekers.
“With South Africa’s high unemployment and economic instability, our youth are incredibly vulnerable to these scams. They’re promised opportunity, but what they find is modern-day slavery.”
Earlier this year, 23 South Africans were rescued from similar circumstances in Myanmar.
Dirco urges vigilance
The Department of International Relations and Co-operation (Dirco) said those victims had also been lured with promises of employment, good salaries, free accommodation and other benefits.
Dirco said the group was held captive for more than four months in a cybercrime compound, where they were subjected to intimidation, physical abuse and forced labour.
Speaking to News24, Dirco spokesperson Clayson Monyela confirmed that the scams were targeting young people, particularly women, and said the department had launched a campaign to alert South Africans to the dangers of accepting unverified overseas job offers.
“Our responsibility is to alert people so that when they stumble upon these offers, they check and double-check with us so we can assist them in verifying whether they are legitimate.”
Another spokesperson, Chrispin Phiri, said the department is waiting for a full report from its team to ascertain the exact number of victims, adding that no further comment would be made until then.
‘We bring you the latest Garden Route, Hessequa, Karoo news’
