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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.

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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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Anti-human trafficking specialist Mechelle B. Moore said Malaysia could utilize Asean mechanisms, such as the Senior Officials Meeting on Transnational Crime (SOMTC), to spearhead regional initiatives against trafficking and forced labor.

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Global Alms CEO Mechelle Moore said it is wrong to force trafficking victims to prove their innocence. An NGO has voiced disagreement with a statement by the police that 90% of purported Malaysian human trafficking victims are criminals involved in fraud syndicates. Calling it a “very sweeping statement”, Global Alms CEO Mechelle Moore said while some victims may initially be drawn to work with syndicates involved in scams, many were ultimately exploited or victims of trafficking. “If they (police) are identifying them as perpetrators or willing scammers, so be it, but I know many Malaysians who may go in as willing scammers only to become victims of trafficking."

“They’re brutalised, locked up and have their passports taken from them. They are transported elsewhere without their consent and find they’re unable to leave,” she said at a forum today organised by Asia Freedom Network. Moore said the statement reflected a “personal bias” by the government and called for a shift in how trafficking victims are viewed by society. “Instead of giving trafficking victims the benefit of the doubt, you have that attitude where you have to prove that you’re a victim, not a criminal. That’s not right,” she said.

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Anti-human trafficking specialist Mechelle B. Moore said Malaysia could capitalise on Asean mechanisms, such as the Senior Officials Meeting on Transnational Crime (SOMTC), to lead regional initiatives against trafficking and forced labour. "Malaysia's leadership as Asean chair presents a critical opportunity to bolster anti-trafficking measures, particularly in addressing forced criminality. By strengthening collaboration within Asean frameworks, Malaysia can improve the implementation of anti-trafficking policies and enhance victim protection standards."

Moore, who is also the Asia Global Alms Incorporated chief executive officer, said SOMTC monitors the implementation of the Asean Convention Against Trafficking in Persons. This includes enforcing the "non-punishment principle" which shields trafficking victims from being held criminally or administratively liable for unlawful acts committed under coercion. "Trafficking victims should not face punishment for acts they were forced to commit through manipulation, coercion, or deception. Consent to exploitation becomes irrelevant under such circumstances," she said.

Efforts are underway to finalise Asean's non-punishment guidelines by December. The guidelines, Moore said, were aimed at helping member states identify trafficking victims and ensure they were not treated as criminals during investigations, prosecutions, and adjudications. She added that cross-border collaborations played an important role, citing Malaysia's partnerships with Thailand and the Philippines through SOMTC's Heads of Specialist Units. "These collaborations demonstrate that with effective coordination, traffickers can be brought to justice while victims' rights are safeguarded," she said.

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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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San Francisco, CA, July 22 – The Trust & Safety Professional Association (TSPA) is proud to once again host TrustCon, the premier global conference for trust and safety professionals, July 22-24 in San Francisco. Now in its third year, TrustCon 2024 will bring together over 1,300 attendees from around the world, making it the largest gathering of trust and safety professionals to date.

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On May 30th the first in-person meeting of the Global Coalition to Fight Financial Crime APAC chapter was held in Singapore, hosted by INTERPOL.

The day also included a discussion on combatting scams & fraud with GCFFC members and esteemed guests Loretta Yuen, Chee Kin Lam, Cyril Mak and Fanny Kung, as well as a powerful call to action on human trafficking and modern slavery, backed by real world experiences, by the awe-inspiring Mechelle B Moore & Steve Farrer.

"For me the event was full of many teachable moments where I learnt how connected the #financialcrimefighters world can be and how civil society can feed into those data conduits to provide the missing pieces. I was blown away by the response to our session on human trafficking for forced criminality and grateful for the opportunity to share about this global issue with so many movers and shakers." - Mechelle B Moore

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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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While preparing a tea leaf salad, Wei says that in the end she was lucky. She almost got close to the slavery that forces thousands of people every day - especially Burmese and Chinese - to work in the so-called "scam cities", the scam cities that Myanmar is dotted with along the borders with China and Thailand and from where they try to contact gamblers all over the world, young Chinese, elderly Europeans, single American women, Thai millennials. It starts with a WhatsApp message, one arrived on my Italian cell phone too.

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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Pig butchering, a new form of financial fraud, is on the rise in the US according to the FBI. CNN's senior international correspondent Ivan Watson spoke to two victims of the scam and traces its roots back to South East Asia.

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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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Global Alms Incorporated Chief Executive Officer, Mechelle B Moore, along with the Tak Provincial Immigration Office, attended the multidisciplinary team meeting to consider separating persons who are reasonably believed to be victims of human trafficking during the Reflection Period under the National Referral Mechanism (NRM).

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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 staff attend a workshop to develop operational requirements documents and review the strategy of the Mae Sot Anti-Human Trafficking Network.

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Victims and workers with the anti-trafficking NGO Global Alms have shared footage of life inside compounds along Myanmar’s side of a shared river border with Thailand.

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For some, the abuse inside turns deadly. Grace Mata was trafficked to KK Park, in the Myawaddy area, in July last year.

Mechelle Moore, CEO of Global Alms, says the anti-trafficking NGO has seen a recent surge in trafficking victims on the Thailand-Myanmar border.

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From Shwe Kokko to KK Park, a slew of brutal criminal enterprises now dot the Moei River that forms Myanmar’s border with Thailand.

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As part of the latest event in the Kiah Consulting Elevating Excellence program, Kiah Consulting managing director John Glenn introduced a member of the program who he said reflected the culture and behaviour of his organisation – Mechelle Moore, CEO of not-for-profit organisation Global Alms Inc.

The work of Global Alms is designed to create a safety net while modern slavery acts seek to make an impact. Global Alms supports people to protect themselves from exploitation through reality based self-defence classes, as well as working directly with the Royal Thai Police to support investigations of trafficking and exploitation. Being an advocate for those who have been exploited and facilitate access to services that will help them escape a downward cycle is an important service required today.

“It’s takes a long time to build a reputation in Thailand – you have to be consistent and put in the time,” Moore said. “We were warned not to break any laws or do anything corrupt, and to follow the law. When we come across corruption, we stand our ground and challenge the people involved to do the right thing. We don’t give in or pay, just to make it easier.”

For Mechelle Moore it was taking the leap from the Canberra public sector to the Thai-Myanmar border.

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Mechelle runs a charity working with women and children at risk of trafficking and sexual exploitation on the Thai-Burmese border.

Mechelle is a previous client of Kiah Consulting. We first met her in a public sector role, well on her way up the corporate ladder. But somewhere along that journey, Mechelle’s life took a dramatic turn. She found her passion in helping women and children at risk from the sexual slavery trade, and now leads her own charity, Global Alms Inc. She has given up friends, family and her own country to work with vulnerable women and children, teaching them self-defence, life and business skills to support their economic and social freedom and independence.

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Global Alms Incorporated announced their first Touch Football Development Camp took place from 11-12th March in Mae Sot, Thailand.