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 is the shocking truth behind scam messages?
Imagine this. You help your little brother land a great job abroad. But when he arrives, the job doesn't exist. Instead, he's trapped in a heavily guarded compound, forced to sit at a computer and scam innocent victims. all while armed guards stand by with shoot-to-kill orders.
Chapter 2: How does Scam Factory expose a criminal empire?
Scam Factory, the explosive new true crime podcast from Wondery, exposes a multi-billion dollar criminal empire operating in plain sight. Every suspicious text you ignore masks a huge network of compounds where thousands are held captive and 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 compound.
Chapter 3: Who is Jella and what is her role in the scam compound?
While you're listening, follow Scam Factory on the Wondery app or wherever you get your podcasts. 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.
Chapter 4: What strategies are used to manipulate victims in scam factories?
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. But if you did not scam, you will only get $300.
But if you were like Jella, this was terrible news. Jella was awful at scamming, like truly awful. She'd never gotten good at the dirty talk. She'd only gotten three clients to take it to video chat, but none of them were successfully blackmailed. She'd been moved over to another group with a new assignment. Scam people into buying things from a fake Amazon store. That hadn't gone any better.
So she'd been sent to yet another group. This time, someone else was doing the scamming. Jella just served as a warm body on camera for video calls. Her coworkers would tell her what to say. And using an AI filter to alter her face, Jella would deliver her lines to the target. She didn't like doing this either.
And now, she was being told that her already meager salary would be tied to her poor performance. Jella's anxiety shot through the roof. But that wasn't all. Her team leaders told them there would be harsher consequences for not meeting quota.
They will lessen the food like that. No quota, no food. You will be punished to duck walk inside the field for 20 times.
Duck walking, where grown adults are forced to squat and walk across the field while everyone watched. It was humiliating. She did not want to do this. All Jello could think about was how much she fucking hated this place, how angry she was at Charlie, how desperately she wanted to get out. And then, one more update.
They announced that by next month, we will be transferring to a different compound.
A different compound? Jello was in a full-on panic now as her bosses explained that they were being transferred to another company. This new company operated out of a compound next door.
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