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Mechelle has observed changes in human trafficking routes along the Thai-Myanmar border since February this year, after living in Mae Sot for 11 years and working in victim rescue for the anti-trafficking organization Global Alms.

Most of the victims Mechelle had previously come to Mae Sot from Bangkok by private car or public transportation, checked into a hotel that night, and were picked up by car the next morning. They changed cars two or three times at most to reach the river and cross the river. In recent months, in order to circumvent the additional border checkpoints along the river, the smugglers have begun to use more mountain routes and more frequent transfers.

Despite heavy blockades, human trafficking on the Thai-Myanmar border is still going on, but it is becoming increasingly difficult. The most direct result is that Myawaddy, especially small companies with relatively weak capital and relationship networks, are beginning to face labor shortages.

At the start of February, Thailand cut internet connections, electricity, and fuel supplies to some areas around the compounds. Thousands of people have since been rescued by officials in one of the most widespread crackdowns on the compounds so far. Mechelle B Moore, the CEO of anti-trafficking nonprofit Global Alms Incorporated, says some shelters are struggling to cope with the amount of people being freed. But past efforts to disrupt scam operations by shutting off internet connections have not been effective, partly due to Starlink connectivity.

“We have not heard of any companies shutting down or suspending operations because they don’t have access to the internet,” says Moore, who adds that multiple trafficking survivors she has spoken with have mentioned their use of Starlink. “Victims will all confirm that they’re flipped over to Starlink or they use cellular dongles with SIM cards in them. When one doesn’t work, they just flick over to the other. It doesn’t stop operations at all.”

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For the article from *The Economist*, Mechelle B.J. Moore, CEO of Global Alms Incorporated, discussed with the writer the growing threat of online scams. She emphasized that scammers are increasingly sophisticated and skilled at exploiting technology to manipulate and deceive individuals, making it harder for people to recognize and avoid scams. Moore highlighted that online fraud is now pervasive, targeting vulnerable populations and causing significant emotional and financial harm. She pointed out the lack of robust systems in place to prevent these scams and the failure of both governments and tech companies to adequately address the problem.

She also mentioned that while technological solutions like AI can help detect scams, they are not enough on their own. Moore advocated for a comprehensive approach that includes better consumer education, improved law enforcement, and more stringent regulations for tech companies, to help reduce the overall impact of these scams on society. Her perspective painted a picture of an urgent need for global cooperation to combat the increasing threat of online fraud, which she believes is becoming as damaging to society as illegal drugs.

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“People in Asia and Africa are determined to work and earn money in better places because their countries do not have enough jobs,” Moore explained as the car zoomed down the road. “After COVID-19, when the world reopened for travel, they tried to look for jobs, and they had already tried to verify that such jobs actually exist.”

“The people we help often don’t return to a good life. Many of them suffer from psychological impacts. Some face legal cases, while others lose their families. Some return with nothing left in their lives,” Moore said.

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“It’s real people scamming real people, and those people have feelings, they have emotions, they have memories,” said Mechelle Moore, the Mae Sot-based chief executive of an anti-trafficking nonprofit called Global Alms Incorporated.

“They’re put into survival mode, where you either think you’re going to die or be extremely hurt in some way, and you choose to comply,” she said. “It’s absolutely disgusting and devastating.”

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“We’re in a modern society where we’re traveling all over the world for jobs,” Mechelle Moore, the CEO of an anti-trafficking NGO called Global Alms, told Asian Dispatch. “People aren’t getting jobs in their home countries and [the scam companies] take advantage of that desire to work overseas.”

Moore estimates at least 10,000 trafficking victims stuck in scam compounds that could run up to hundreds if not thousands across Southeast Asia.

“A lot of [these scam] companies lure people who can speak English well, and the jobs advertised for are for logistics, customer service, marketing and so on,” said Moore. “They would specifically target people from South Asian countries that did not have an embassy where they’re operating out of.”

We’re in a modern society where we’re traveling all over the world for jobs. People aren’t getting jobs in their home countries and [the scam companies] take advantage of that desire to work overseas. – Mechelle Moore, CEO, Global Alms

The pandemic provided a big advantage, if not the catalyst, to the criminal network. Civil strife and socio-economic struggles in the host countries add more layers to this complex web of transnational crime.

NGOs like Moore’s have been tracking constructions of new compounds across Asia every year. “They’ve got enough people willing to complete the scams. If the survivors of trafficking don’t want to stay or cause trouble, they’re recycled,” she said. “It’s definitely not dying down.”

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Those working to counter the industrial scale trafficking, such as Mechelle Moore of the charity Global Alms are less polite. "If you don't have dedicated teams to stop this, then you're complicit, " she says.

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DW Exclusive Myanmar Cyber slavery

They scam unsuspecting victims across the globe — but they’re victims themselves. Thousands of people are trafficked worldwide into Myanmar's war-torn east, where they are forced to trick people in Europe, the US and China into scam schemes. At KK Park, one of the most notorious facilities, those who refuse risk torture and even murder. DW’s investigative unit went to the borderlands of Thailand and Myanmar to track down the perpetrators behind this multimillion-euro operation. Along the way, they uncovered a vast criminal network leading to a notorious Chinese Triad boss.

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In KK Park, on the Myanmar-Thai border, those who refuse to scam face torture, starvation and even murder. DW investigates one of Asia's most brutal scam compounds and features Global Alms Incorporated Chief Executive Officer, Mechelle B Moore, and her work with the GAI Counter Trafficking Unit.

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“It's terrifying to think what the scale of this is like, and then how much we can't do to help them. We can do our bit, but that's a drop in the ocean compared to what they need,” says Moore, who’s working day and night to save Rakesh’s friends and the dozens of people that reach out every day begging for help.

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Global Alms Incorporated Chief Executive Officer, Mechelle B Moore, the Tak Provincial Immigration Office together with local security agencies screened potential victims of trafficking according to the National Referral Mechanism (NRM).

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Global Alms Incorporated Chief Executive Officer, Mechelle B Moore, with Government Agencies discussing guidelines for driving the integrated centre to separate victims of human trafficking in the Tak Province for assistance and protection of trafficking victims in the Mae Sot National Referral Mechanism Steering Committee.

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