You know those messages that you get all the time, the ones that pop up out of nowhere? They could be real, but something about them seems fishy. You likely dismiss these texts and emails as mere annoyances, thinking you’ve stopped some random stranger from ripping you off. But the shocking truth is, the person behind that message might be trapped inside a “scam factory” on the other side of the world and forced to scam others against their will. From Wondery, comes a new series about the brutal reality behind these operations, where one family discovers a horrifying truth: the only way out is to scam their way out.Listen Now: Wondery.fm/Scam_Factory See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Chapter 1: What are scam factories and how do they operate?
we've all gotten those suspicious messages and scam calls right well behind those suspicious messages flooding your inbox lies a nightmare that's all too real scam factory the gripping new true crime podcast from wondery exposes a multi-billion dollar criminal empire operating in plain sight every suspicious text you ignore masks a vast network of compounds where thousands are held captive forced to scam others under the threat of death
Told through one family's harrowing account of sleepless nights, desperate phone calls, and dangerous rescue attempts, Scam Factory reveals a brutal truth. The only way out is to scam their way out. I'm about to play a clip from Scam Factory where one character, Jella, learns horrifying news while she's trapped inside the Scam Factory.
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Jella kept her eye on the clock, counting down the minutes until 1 a.m. and the end of her shift. She couldn't wait to get to bed. Jella and her teammates began to gather their things to leave. But their team leader told them, not so fast. Everyone needed to go out to the yard.
They just said that it was a meeting with the boss, the team leader, and the translator.
With the boss, the team leader, and the translators. This was never good news. Jelena and her nine coworkers made their way outside. The yard was kind of like a quad on a college campus, except with the guards around, it gave more prison yard vibes. They lined up, five in each row. Jella stood at the front of the line. She looked around.
Two-story concrete buildings all painted in a stark shade of white. Glaring fluorescent lights pouring out of the windows and doors. On the first floor was where they spent long hours, day and night, scamming. On the second was where they slept in cheap metal bunk beds. The roofs were studded with floodlights that only added to the prison feel. She looked down at the concrete beneath her feet.
Such a sad contrast to the adventures on Thai beaches she thought she'd be having when she first met Charlie. A hush spread through the group as the boss began to speak. Beside him was a team leader and two translators. The boss started with an announcement. They were changing up the payment structure. It would now be tiered based on how much they were able to scam.
If you have five to seven people scam, your salary is $700. And if you have a bigger amount, like 20,000 USD scam, they will give you 1,000 USD salary plus your commission. That'd be great if you were good at scamming.
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Chapter 2: How does one family try to escape a scam factory?
The one Charlie helped put her in. Before it cost her her life.
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