Criminal Podcast: "The Compound"
Original Release Date: September 12, 2025
Host: Phoebe Judge
Guest Journalist: Denise Chan
Primary Storyteller: “Jella” (pseudonym)
Episode Overview
This episode of Criminal tells the story of Jella, a young Filipina who was lured by the promise of a lucrative customer service job in Thailand but found herself trafficked to a scam compound in Myanmar. Through first-hand accounts and investigative reporting, the episode exposes the rapid rise of scam compounds across Southeast Asia, the harrowing experiences of forced laborers inside them, and rare insights into their tactics, operations, and the desperate fight for freedom.
Main Discussion Points & Insights
1. Jella’s Deceptive Recruitment (01:14–04:34)
- Background:
Jella, a 26-year-old woman from the Philippines, dislikes her corporate job but enjoys traveling and posting online content. - Recruitment Pitch:
She is contacted about a supposed customer service role in Thailand, offered by Filipino recruiters. The promise includes room, board, and proximity to wildlife and national parks in the Thak Province. - Travel and Arrival:
Upon arrival in Thailand, Jella is unexpectedly transported toward the border with Myanmar. At a bridge, she realizes something is amiss; crossed into Myanmar, she is met by strangers and begins to fear she has been trafficked.
“That’s the time I realized that I was lied to.”
— Jella (03:31)
2. Crossing into Myanmar & Initial Shock (04:34–07:43)
- Civil War Context:
Myanmar is in turmoil due to a recent military coup, making it unsafe and lawless, especially for outsiders. - Pressure Tactics:
Recruiters press her to continue, insisting all is well and that escorts are waiting. - Arrival at the Compound:
She is greeted by armed men and taken through a large, heavily guarded compound resembling a “mini city” but surrounded by militarized security.
“There are buildings everywhere... It’s almost like a mini city in the middle of nowhere.”
— Denise Chan (07:11)
3. The Scam Compound’s Reality (07:43–09:51)
- Living Conditions:
Dormitories are cramped (seven women to a room), with limited privacy or personal autonomy. - Revelation:
Jella’s passport is confiscated, and the promised job is revealed to be a scam operation. She is forced into work and told she must pay USD $4,000 to leave—a sum framed as a debt for travel, visa, and recruiter costs.
4. Forced Sextortion & Psychological Impact (09:51–10:18)
- Nature of Work:
Jella is assigned to sextortion scams—enticing men on dating apps into compromising videos for blackmail purposes. - Emotional Toll: She is deeply disturbed by the work, which is far outside her experience and moral comfort.
“Nude photos, I can’t bear to see it like that… I haven’t seen any pornography or any videos about it.”
— Jella (10:03)
5. Coercion and Threats (10:18–12:49)
- Refusal Not An Option:
Workers who resist are physically threatened, some told of “shoot to kill” orders. - Escape Pathways:
Ling Li, a trafficking expert, describes only three ways out: pay ransom (up to $30,000), seek NGO or police aid, or attempt a dangerous escape.
6. Daily Life & Operations at the Compound (13:49–17:44)
- Targeting Filipinos:
Filipinos are recruited for their English fluency. - KK Park:
The compound is identified as “KK Park”—a vast, formerly rural region now built up rapidly after the 2021 coup. - Surveillance:
Workers are monitored nearly nonstop, with confiscated phones and constant video surveillance. - Grueling Routine:
14–16 hour workdays, seven days a week, with strict quotas and rare days off; work is scripted, often with the aid of AI.
“You get up, work 14, 16 hours, head straight back to your dorm, rest, then wake up and do it all over again.”
— Denise Chan (15:18)
- Types of Scams:
Sextortion, romance scams, gambling, investment, loan scams, and more—each with a tailored script for the victim.
“There is a type of scam for any type of person.”
— Denise Chan (17:31)
- Scale:
Some buildings house dozens of companies, generating up to $400,000 weekly.
7. Emotional Isolation & Family (19:49–21:27)
- Concealing the Truth:
Jella lies to her family, especially her sister, to avoid worrying them. - Confession:
Eventually, emotional strain leads her to reveal her situation to her sister, who promises to help find a way out.
“I don’t want them to worry about me… I just want them to think I’m in good condition.”
— Jella (20:06)“When I hear about my father, I was so weak about my feelings for him. Then there, I started spitting out every detail.”
— Jella (20:53)
8. Failed Ransom, Escalating Threats & Decision to Escape (21:27–24:00)
- Obstacles to Release:
Even with promised ransom, the bosses refuse to let her go. - New Compound Fears:
News comes they’ll be transferred to a more brutal compound infamous for torture with electric batons.
“We will be transferring to a different compound… with a bigger fence, and it has another security guard.”
— Jella (23:00)
- Motivation to Flee:
Jella resolves to escape before transfer.
9. The Escape Plan (26:15–33:52)
- Researching Rescues:
Jella and friends learn online about Colonel Matalang, police attache at the Philippine Embassy in Bangkok, who has helped others escape. - Contact and Advice:
The group reaches out; Col. Matalang cannot intervene directly due to the armed rebel control, but guides them to seek a “complaint desk” run by local rebel “landlords.” - Execution:
After suspecting their plot is discovered, the group departs at 1am with essential belongings only, following the colonel's instructions.
“Sister, we will escape tonight. If I cannot go home, then this will be my last message.”
— Jella (30:03)
- Confrontation at the Complaint Desk:
At a bamboo hut near the gate, a standoff ensues with the bosses; the group stands firm, refusing all inducements and revealing their embassy contact.
“We are not scammers.”
— Jella (32:26)
- Success:
The threat of embassy involvement compels the bosses to return their passports and release them. The colonel assists their safe passage out of Myanmar.
10. Aftermath & Broader Crackdown (33:52–36:29)
- Reporting the Recruiters:
Back in Manila, Jella reports her traffickers to authorities. - High-Profile Case:
Later, Chinese actor Wong Xing is lured similarly and goes missing, prompting public outcry and state action. - Large-Scale Liberation:
In Feb 2025, a joint operation by Thai, Chinese, and Burmese forces rescues over 7,000 people from scam compounds, including KK Park.
“It's a huge human trafficking issue. There are compounds in Cambodia, Dubai, South America, and they're growing really, really fast.”
— Denise Chan (35:59)
- Ongoing Issue:
Rescue operations are substantial but only temporary disruptions to a rapidly evolving criminal enterprise.
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
-
On realizing the scam:
“That’s the time I realized that I was lied to.”
— Jella (03:31) -
On the risks of refusing work:
“If he tried to escape, there was a quote, shoot to kill order.”
— Phoebe Judge, relaying Ling Li’s findings (10:18) -
On the monotony and surveillance:
“There are cameras around the entire compound and all of their monitors as they're working… So all of their actions are constantly monitored.”
— Denise Chan (14:56) -
On the scale of the scam industry:
“Some of these companies are bringing out up to $400,000 a week.”
— Denise Chan (19:26) -
On the urge to escape:
“I need to leave this compound before we transfer to that compound.”
— Jella (23:37) -
On the uncertainty of escape:
“Sister, we will escape tonight. If I cannot go home, then this will be my last message.”
— Jella (30:03) -
On standing up to the bosses:
“We are not scammers.”
— Jella (32:26) -
On the persistence of scam compounds:
“There are compounds in Cambodia, There are compounds in Dubai. There are compounds in South America, and they're growing really, really fast.”
— Denise Chan (35:59)
Key Timestamps
- 01:14: Phoebe Judge introduces Jella’s background in the Philippines
- 03:31: Jella realizes she’s been misled and trafficked
- 04:34: Context of conflict in Myanmar, increasing Jella’s fears
- 07:11: Description of the compound—“a mini city in the middle of nowhere”
- 09:06: Denise Chan explains Jella’s assigned scam work (sextortion)
- 10:03: Jella describes her revulsion at her forced responsibilities
- 13:49: Why Filipinos are targeted; compound surveillance intensifies
- 15:18: Denise Chan describes the grueling work schedule
- 19:26: Discussion of the financial scale of scam factories
- 20:53: Jella breaks down and confides in her sister
- 23:00: Announcing transfer to a harsher compound—escalating the urgency to escape
- 26:39: Discovery of Colonel Matalang as potential rescuer
- 29:48: The escape begins—the group leaves the dorm at 1am
- 30:03: Jella’s farewell text to her sister
- 32:26: Group resists bosses’ attempts to keep them
- 33:52: Release is granted; group escapes with embassy help
- 35:40: Authorities launch a raid freeing 7,000 victims from scam compounds
- 35:59: Denise Chan reflects on the immense and persistent scale of forced scam labor
Final Thoughts
The Compound is a gripping and sobering exposé of modern forced labor and online scamming networks, drawing on personal testimony and dogged reporting to illuminate how these criminal syndicates prey on vulnerable international job seekers. Jella’s story—her harrowing ordeal, her solidarity with fellow victims, and her calculated, desperate escape—stands as both a warning and a testament to courage in the face of exploitation. The episode closes on the reminder that, despite dramatic rescues, such criminal enterprises are proliferating rapidly, driven underground rather than eliminated by law enforcement. This phenomenon reaches well beyond Myanmar, pointing to a global crisis that remains unresolved.