On the World Day Against Trafficking in Persons (30 July), Caritas Internationalis, as a member of COATNET (Christian Organisations Against Trafficking NETwork), a global faith-based network committed to combating human trafficking, joins the United Nations' call to confront one of the fastest-growing forms of trafficking: the exploitation of people forced to carry out online scams and cyber-enabled fraud.
This year's UN theme, "Trapped Behind the Scam," reminds us that behind many fraudulent phone calls, fake investment schemes and online scams are not only criminals, but also victims of trafficking who have been deceived, coerced, threatened and forced into criminal activities by organised crime networks.
To mark this day, we are honoured to share the testimony of Apinya Tajit, Deputy National Director of Stella Maris, Diocese of Chanthaburi, Thailand, a COATNET member organisation. Her first-hand account reveals the human reality behind online scams and highlights the importance of prevention, survivor protection and close collaboration between faith-based organisations and law enforcement.
The story below was shared by Apinya Tajit, Deputy National Director of Stella Maris, Diocese of Chanthaburi, Thailand, a COATNET member organisation working closely with Caritas Thailand.
Behind the Scam Call: The Human Face of Online Scamming
At a time when online scams were rapidly increasing, I received a call from officers of the Royal Thai Police, a law enforcement team with whom I had worked on several cases. They informed me that three young Thai women from southern Thailand had been deceived into travelling to Myanmar with promises of good jobs, high salaries, accommodation, food, and commissions.
When they arrived, they discovered that they had been taken to a scam compound and forced to work as scammers. They were expected to generate millions of baht each month by deceiving victims. Unable to meet the targets, they lived under constant fear. They witnessed other workers being beaten, forcibly shaved, and subjected to electric shocks as a warning to others.
We received an urgent request to help one of the women. We were told that she was about to be sold to another criminal group and might disappear forever if we did not act quickly.
I contacted the Chairperson of Talitha Kum Thailand, and negotiations for her release began. The criminals first demanded 30,000 Thai baht, then 50,000, and finally 100,000 baht. I told them clearly that we did not have that amount. Eventually, they agreed to accept 50,000 baht, which Talitha Kum Thailand provided.
Before transferring the money, I coordinated closely with the Thai police. The ransom was transferred to a bank account in Thailand linked to the criminal network, enabling law enforcement to take legal action against the account holder.
At around one or two o'clock in the morning, the young woman was released at a river on the Myanmar side. A senior Thai police officer crossed the river to receive her and bring her safely back to Thailand. She was taken to a safe house and provided crucial information about the criminal network.
Later, she recognised the boss of the scam operation on Facebook and discovered that he planned to fly to Thailand, presenting himself as a promoter involved in organising a national-level boxing event. She immediately informed the police. The police acted on her information and arrested him upon his arrival at the airport.
The young woman was finally free.
This case taught me that online scamming is not only cybercrime or financial fraud. Behind some scam calls are people who have themselves been deceived, trafficked, threatened, and forced to commit crimes. Sometimes, the person making the scam call may also be a victim silently crying for help.
Through my continued work with government authorities and law enforcement, I have also seen many children and young people become victims of online exploitation. Many cases involve students from our Catholic schools. Criminals may assume that these students come from families with financial means and target them for extortion.
Some perpetrators use romance scams and online grooming. They gain a child's trust, make the child feel loved, and manipulate them into taking intimate photographs. These images are then used for sextortion and may be circulated or sold through criminal networks, including on the dark web.
This is why I travel to Catholic schools across Thailand to provide online safety and scam-awareness training. I also work with children and young people in schools along Thailand's border areas, helping them understand how traffickers recruit people into scam compounds and how criminal networks recruit young people to become money mules, open bank accounts, or provide facial scans and biometric verification.
For me, prevention must begin before a child becomes a victim.
Protecting children from online exploitation is not only about teaching them how to use technology safely. It is about protecting their dignity, their freedom, and their future.
Apinya Tajit
