Sacrificial Lambs | 2

Summary

Scam Factory: Episode 2 – "Sacrificial Lambs"

Release Date: February 24, 2025
Host: Denise Chan
Produced by: Wondery

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Introduction: Charlie’s Turmoil

The episode begins with Charlie, the protagonist, grappling with the harrowing reality that her brother, Max, is ensnared in a “scam factory” in Myanmar. Living in a serene area away from Manila’s chaos, Charlie's peaceful surroundings contrast sharply with her internal distress.

Notable Quote:
Charlie [00:42]: "When I get tense, I smoke. I smoke a lot. That time I was going in and out of the house because I was so tense."

The Confrontation with Dev

Charlie’s anxiety stems from Max being deceived by Dev, the man who appeared legitimate but orchestrated the scam operation. After extensive efforts to verify the legitimacy of the job offer—traveling to Thailand and meeting company associates—Charlie discovers the grim truth that Dev is a scammer exploiting her brother.

Notable Quote:
Denise Chan [00:58]: "She had tried to be so careful... But the shocking truth is, the person behind that message might be trapped inside a 'scam factory.'"

When Charlie confronts Dev, she attempts to challenge his deceit but fails to elicit a straightforward response. Dev ramifies the situation by offering misleading reassurances, manipulating Charlie into a false sense of hope.

Notable Quote:
Charlie [03:04]: "And then I would enter my own pocket."

Forced Collaboration: Working for Dev

Dev presents Charlie with a harrowing ultimatum: to secure Max’s release, Charlie must engage in scamming operations herself. Lacking the financial means to pay the exorbitant ransom of $4,000, Charlie reluctantly agrees to work for Dev, becoming complicit in the very scam that ensnared her brother.

Notable Quote:
Charlie [06:05]: "I felt like I would be playing chess with the devil. I have to make a smart move."

She transitions from running her online shop to arranging travel for new recruits, unknowingly funneling them into the scam factory. Her role becomes pivotal in perpetuating the scam network, exacerbating her desperation to rescue Max.

Notable Quote:
Charlie [07:36]: "He just said that. Book the ticket for these people. That's it."

Family Confession and Escalation

Amidst her struggles, Charlie confides in her brother Josh about the dire situation. Her revelation shatters the family’s facade, revealing the depth of the scam. Josh, driven by loyalty, insists on joining the effort to save Max, adding another layer of complexity to Charlie’s predicament.

Notable Quote:
Charlie [14:01]: "They would come up to me. Everything that they cannot deal on their own, they will always come up to me."

Josh [16:02]: "Somebody has to be with him."

Recruitment Spiral: More Sacrifices

Pressured by Dev to recruit more individuals to secure Max’s release, Charlie taps into her past experience in customer service to find suitable candidates. Her initial success with recruiting five women, including Max’s girlfriend and her brother, inadvertently strengthens the scam operation. These recruits swiftly ascend the corporate hierarchy within the scam factory, undermining Charlie’s intentions.

Notable Quote:
Charlie [24:43]: "Similar sounded good to Charlie."

The False Hope and Realization

As the recruits cross into Myanmar under false pretenses, the grim reality dawns on Charlie that her actions have perpetuated the scam. Jella, one of the recruited women, experiences the terrifying truth firsthand, symbolizing the irreversible consequences of Charlie’s coerced involvement.

Notable Quote:
Jella [30:34]: "That's the time I realized that I was lied to."

Cliffhanger: The Unraveling

The episode concludes with Charlie’s realization of her deep entanglement in the scam factory’s operations. Faced with the moral and legal implications of her actions, she recognizes that escaping this nightmare will require dismantling the very system she was forced to help build.

Notable Quote:
Charlie [33:33]: "My face went blank. I cannot undo that. I lied to them. I am already one of them."

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Conclusion

Episode 2, "Sacrificial Lambs," delves deeper into Charlie’s moral dilemma and the expanding web of deceit surrounding the scam factory. As Charlie becomes increasingly entangled in the operation, the stakes rise, setting the stage for an intense struggle to save her family and extricate herself from the clutches of the scam syndicate.

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Key Takeaways

• Coercion and Survival: Charlie’s forced collaboration with Dev highlights the desperate measures individuals may take to save loved ones.

• Family Loyalty: The bond between siblings drives the narrative, illustrating how familial ties can both protect and endanger.

• Psychological Manipulation: Dev’s tactics showcase the intricate methods scammers use to exploit trust and enforce compliance.

• Escalation of Crime: Charlie’s initial reluctant involvement spirals into a larger criminal network, emphasizing how seemingly small compromises can lead to significant moral and legal consequences.

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Looking Ahead

The episode ends on a suspenseful note, with Charlie realizing her deep involvement and the potential for further complications. The next installment promises to explore the ramifications of her actions and the evolving dynamics within the scam factory.

Stay Tuned: For the continuation of Charlie’s journey and the unfolding of the Scam Factory’s dark operations, follow Episode 3, coming soon.

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This summary captures the essence of "Scam Factory" Episode 2, providing an in-depth overview of the key events, character developments, and thematic elements. For a complete experience, listening to the full episode on the Wondery App or your preferred podcast platform is highly recommended.

Transcript

[Denise Chan]

Wondery subscribers can binge all episodes of Scam Factory early and ad free. Join Wondery in the Wondery app or on Apple podcasts. Charlie paced around outside her house in the cool night air. It was quiet, which was one benefit of living hours away from the bustling city of Manila. The other was the fresh air she got from being surrounded. Surrounded by lush greenery at the base of a mountain. Less pollution. Which didn't really matter at this moment because Charlie was smoking like a chimney.

[Charlie]

When I get tense, I smoke. I smoke a lot. That time I was going in and out of the house because I was so tense.

[Denise Chan]

She was tense because she'd screwed up big time. How had she gotten it so wrong?

[Charlie]

I am the type of person that don't easily trust anyone.

[Denise Chan]

She had tried to be so careful. She'd gone with Max to that lunch to learn more about the job, to ask all the questions she could think of to the man offering the gig, this guy Dev. She'd even gone as far as flying out to Thailand to see where Max would be working. She'd met other people from the company. She'd learned that Dev worked directly with the owners. So to Charlie, this man seemed legitimate. And so did the company. Boy, was she wrong.

[Charlie]

I got scum.

[Denise Chan]

I got scum by Dev. Anger coursed through her body. She gripped her phone. She was going to confront Dev. It was late, but she didn't care.

[Charlie]

I asked Dev, what's going on? And then he said, why? What's wrong?

[Denise Chan]

She couldn't quite bring herself to call him out directly to say, hey, you scammed us and now my brother is scamming people all over the world. So she decided to start with every way Dev had lied to them. Because if everything had been a lie, then they never really agree to this. And Dev had to let him go. Right.

[Charlie]

I asked him, where did you send my brother? The job is not the one that you've promised.

[Denise Chan]

Dev didn't deny any of this. Yes, the job wasn't the one advertised, and yes, it was a different compound than the one she had visited. But he explained to her that the place she visited was still under construction, and once it was finished, Max would be transferred over. In the meantime, Max was placed in a compound that had already been fully built, about 10 minutes away. And Dev would make sure he was being looked out for. Charlie was starting to get desperate. She pointed out that he'd even lied about the salary.

[Charlie]

And then I asked him, see, even the salary also lied to us.

[Denise Chan]

Max's salary was about $300 a month, more than three times less than he'd been promised.

[Charlie]

And then he said, don't worry about the salary.

[Denise Chan]

The company would give Max's reduced pay and Dev would provide the rest.

[Charlie]

And then I would enter my own pocket.

[Denise Chan]

Charlie didn't know it, but it was like Dev was reading straight from one of Shayna Lucas scripts.

[Charlie]

He's always saying, no, don't worry, don't worry, I'll take care of your brother.

[Denise Chan]

Pitch handle objections, make promises. Earnestly, he told me that your brother.

[Charlie]

Just need to work for six months. Aren't in the six months?

[Denise Chan]

Six months. Dev would see to it that Max would be able to get out in half the time he was originally contracted for.

[Charlie]

He said special treatment. But my mind saying, no, you are dealing with scammer. And you're dealing with not like a typical scammer. This one is higher scammer.

[Denise Chan]

She didn't want a deal. She wanted to get her brother out of this.

[Charlie]

And then I told him that I want him to send him back.

[Denise Chan]

Just let Max go.

[Charlie]

He said that if you don't want to continue working, it's easy. Just pay $4,000. I'll send him back easy. $4,000 is like a huge amount.

[Denise Chan]

Charlie didn't have anywhere near that kind of money. She sold secondhand clothes for a living. Her bank account only had about $500 in it. It's not like a bank would give her a loan. What would she say? My brother's trapped in a scam factory in Myanmar and I need to pay the people who are holding him? She couldn't ask her parents. They didn't have that kind of money either.

[Charlie]

They're not working anymore. They are just relying on our support.

[Denise Chan]

She didn't dare tell her family.

[Charlie]

They will just judge me. They will judge my brother. That's the worst thing.

[Denise Chan]

And she didn't think she could go to the police.

[Charlie]

It's not like a normal scenario. I'll just go to the police and tell the police. No, it's not like that.

[Denise Chan]

Her brother was trapped in Myanmar, a foreign country nearly 1,500 miles away. A foreign country in the middle of its own civil war that felt more or less lawless.

[Charlie]

I will inform the authorities what's happening, what's the situation? But the thing is, no one can get in there.

[Denise Chan]

Charlie was afraid. If the local Philippines authorities could do anything, it would take a long time. But she was even more afraid of what Dev might do if he found out she went to the police.

[Charlie]

So I was like, Okay, I am in deep shit right now. My brother was already there. So every small move I make, even a small one, I might put him in trouble.

[Denise Chan]

But Charlie was about to make a big move. One that could get her in serious trouble. Because if Charlie really wanted to get Max out, if she really wanted to make the kind of money she needed to buy his freedom, then Dev had one more offer.

[Charlie]

Just say, in the Philippines, I have a plan for you.

[Denise Chan]

Charlie could work for Dev.

[Charlie]

I felt like I would be playing chess with the devil. I have to make a smart move.

[Denise Chan]

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[Charlie]

He just said that. Book the ticket for these people. That's it.

[Denise Chan]

She had agreed to help Dev arrange travel for fresh recruits going into the compound.

[Charlie]

I don't have the guts to tell him, no, no, I'm not going to work for you. My brother is there. I cannot say no.

[Denise Chan]

Dev could make as much as $10,000 for each recruit he brought over. And for every person Charlie helped with, he promised her a cut.

[Charlie]

He's giving me $400 each.

[Denise Chan]

For her first assignment, Dev told her he had four people he needed her to book travel for. It was Charlie's job to arrange everything. She called a local travel agency and got to work plotting out the perfect three day Bangkok vacation. Temple tours, riverboat rides, gemstone factories. But of course, none of these people would ever see any of these sights. They would all be headed to the same scam factory where her brother was working. And by the time they figured out they'd been scammed, it would be too late. Just like it had been for her and Max. But Charlie didn't dwell on that. She focused on Dev.

[Charlie]

I just need to do whatever he said in order for me to have a good relationship with him. So I just followed whatever he said.

[Denise Chan]

So when the travel agency sent over the itinerary, Charlie double checked. The names were right, the dates were right and the tickets were attached. Then she shared it with Dev. Dev was pleased and Charlie was relieved. She'd done a good job. She was keeping Dev happy. But she was still worried about Max. She texted him constantly to check in every night.

[Charlie]

Every single night.

[Denise Chan]

She wanted to know how he was doing. He told her the food was okay, the hours were long, and he was drinking a lot of beer. Max sent photos of his dorm, and he sent a selfie from his balcony with his new work buddy, Jane. Charlie also wanted to know what he was doing. Max told her he was working with a group of Filipinos because they spoke English. They were scamming customers in the uk, but there were people from all different parts of the world. Indonesians, Malaysians, Russians, Ethiopians, Pakistanis. They'd all been brought there to scam people in a variety of languages. He sent her pictures of his training documents, which had elaborate instructions on how to walk a customer through setting up a crypto account. Like making sure the customer sends all their bank info directly to their customer service team. Or reminding the customer to check back in if they're idle for over 10 minutes just to make sure they're depositing money in the right bank account. He told her about the constant surveillance.

[Charlie]

All their conversations are monitored on their team leader's computer, so if you say something, you'll be in big trouble.

[Denise Chan]

The bosses could see everything on their computer screens and their work phones. And when Max clocked in, he had to hand over his personal phone, which they no doubt looked through. He had to be very careful what he sent to Charlie. And Charlie needed to watch what she sent him, too.

[Charlie]

He said he needs to delete the messages.

[Denise Chan]

Working for Dev, Charlie was starting to get a better understanding of what she and Max were involved in. The place seemed to be run by a Chinese syndicate. Dev was Malaysian Chinese. Everyone she'd talked to who was a boss spoke Chinese. And she knew that Max's managers were Chinese, too. On top of that, the scale of this company was even bigger than she had thought. It wasn't just the one company Max was in. Dev was sending people to a bunch of different companies in different compounds, all in that area, all to scam. It was a huge operation, and Max was just one of thousands. Charlie told Max to do as he was told, and he'd be safe. They'd work this out.

[Charlie]

I told him that I just want you to follow the policy in order for you not to be in trouble. And then he said that I can do that.

[Denise Chan]

Charlie sat on the edge of the Pool at her family's mango farm. Years ago, her family had the idea to dig out two pools next to 200 mango trees, a place they could gather on weekends. Charlie watched her niece and nephews run around the pool, jumping in and out of the water.

[Charlie]

The kids are playing. Everyone was laughing. Everyone was enjoying. And then my parents, they are preparing, doing some barbecue and stuff. Even my partner, she was there. She was helping, preparing the food.

[Denise Chan]

Normally, Charlie would be helping out, too, having fun, drinking a Corona. But today, Charlie kept to herself, feet dangling in the water, head down, chain smoking.

[Charlie]

I was worried I was not enjoying that time.

[Denise Chan]

The whole family was there. Charlie's siblings, her kids, her parents, even some extended family. But someone was missing Max, who, as far as everyone else knew, was off making mad money at his new job in Thailand. Only Charlie knew the truth.

[Charlie]

I was sitting on the side of the pool, holding my phone. I was on my phone the whole time, sitting since Max left, because I want to make sure every time that he sends me a message, I will be able to see it right away. I will be able to respond.

[Denise Chan]

As Charlie stared off into the pool, deep in thought, her brother Josh walked over and sat down next to her. Out of five siblings, Josh and Max were the only boys, and they were the babies of the family. Josh was just a year older than Max.

[Charlie]

He said, you look. I said, yeah.

[Denise Chan]

Growing up, Charlie had always been a de facto parent for her siblings because her dad worked overseas and she was the eldest. She helped her mom out.

[Charlie]

I was the one who take care of them when we were small, especially to those boys, because they're very stubborn.

[Denise Chan]

And when the boys got older, they still turned to Charlie when things went bad.

[Charlie]

They would come up to me. Everything that they cannot deal on their own, they will always come up to me. I'm a lesbian, okay? So I dealt everything on my own. So my parents think I am the toughest among the five of us, so I have to take care of them. That's what's on my mind, even though they're already an adult.

[Denise Chan]

But now, as she looked at Josh's questioning face, her tough older sister facade started to crack.

[Charlie]

Then he said, how is Max?

[Denise Chan]

Charlie decided to come clean.

[Charlie]

I was like, we're in big trouble.

[Denise Chan]

Charlie told Josh about everything that happened in the last few weeks. That she and Max had been lied to. His job was not what was promised. He was scamming. It was in Myanmar. And that she tried to confront the guy who recruited him, and it had gone terribly. He told her there was a Crazy ransom to get Max out. And so instead, she'd ended up working for him. She was booking plane tickets for recruits like Max.

[Charlie]

He was angry. He was angry. I can see in his eyes. He was shaking his head. And then I told him, max is saying that it's okay, that he is fine. He just decided to finish the contract.

[Denise Chan]

Charlie tried to calm Josh down. Max had a bed to sleep on, food every day, and he was at least getting a small paycheck. He was going to stay there and work.

[Charlie]

While I was talking, he was just listening to me. And then he was nodding. He was taking a deep breath from time to time.

[Denise Chan]

It took a moment for Josh to digest everything Charlie had said. Then he spoke.

[Charlie]

He told me that I will go. I said, what do you mean you will go?

[Denise Chan]

She tried to keep her voice low and her emotions in check in front of her unsuspecting family. She really didn't want this to be how her whole family learned what she and Max had gotten into. And she really didn't know if this was a good idea.

[Charlie]

I don't want him to go because I was thinking that Max was already there. And then I will pull Josh. And it was like I took two stones and hit my head at the same time. So I told him that. Are you crazy? And then he said, we don't have a choice. Somebody has to be with him.

[Denise Chan]

Charlie surveyed her five'eleven tatted up brother. Josh had a temper that went from zero to 100 fast.

[Charlie]

I knew his personality. Maybe he will just go in there, pick a fight. They will be in big trouble.

[Denise Chan]

And Charlie knew he was likely to get worked up if something or someone he cared about was threatened like Max. Then they'd both be in trouble. Even more trouble than being stuck in a scam factory. But Josh insisted he needed to go over there and keep an eye on Max, even if it meant he would be doing the same work Max was doing.

[Charlie]

He said that he didn't care that I will do scamming.

[Denise Chan]

Like a lot of brothers, Max and Josh had their fair share of fights growing up. But if anyone else messed with Max, Josh was always the first to defend him.

[Charlie]

He just wanted to be with his brother. That whatever happens, they will be together.

[Denise Chan]

Charlie couldn't really tell him he couldn't go. He was an adult and he was trying to help fix her mistake, which she seemed to be making worse by the hour. So she said, okay.

[Charlie]

I told him, just keep in touch with me so whatever happens, like, I'm going to get you both out of that place. We just have to play his game, Dev's game.

[Denise Chan]

And so far, Dev had pretty cleanly won every round. But at least according to Charlie, not only did Josh want to join this losing game, so did two others. First word got to Max's girlfriend, and she said she wanted to tag along.

[Charlie]

She insisted. She said that I want to be with him.

[Denise Chan]

Then with Max's girlfriend going, Max's girlfriend's brother also wanted to go.

[Charlie]

I don't know what came into their mind for the girlfriend and the brother.

[Denise Chan]

I mean, what came into their mind was the girlfriend wanted to be with her boyfriend and the brother wanted to keep an eye on his sister. And while they all knew it was a scam, they also kind of thought they could just hustle their way through it, keep their head down, meet quota, make some money, get the heck out of dodge at the end of their contract. But for Charlie, this made things much more complicated.

[Charlie]

If it is only Max, maybe I will just have to work hard and pay for his ransom and then get him out.

[Denise Chan]

But it wasn't just Max. Now it was four people. One, she was already worried about, one who was a hothead, and two who were wild cards. Because frankly, Charlie just didn't have the same relationship with the girlfriend and her brother as she did with Josh and Max. And even though she did not know how to solve this constantly expanding headache, she did have an idea. Maybe because she'd been such a good employee, Dev would let her go see her brothers just to make sure they were okay.

[Charlie]

I asked him if I can visit my brothers. I told him that I want to go to Bangkok, I'll buy my own ticket, and I'll pay for all the expenses.

[Denise Chan]

Dev agreed with one condition.

[Charlie]

If you can give me one person, I can ask the boss if you can come inside again and see your brother. If you can just give me one person.

[Denise Chan]

Give me one person.

[Charlie]

I was like, so you mean I'm going to recruit one person?

[Denise Chan]

That is exactly what Dev meant.

[Charlie]

He said that. Yeah, just one person. If you wanted to see your brothers, do that for me.

[Denise Chan]

In order to see her brothers, Charlie would have to cross a serious line. She would have to sell someone on a job that wouldn't be anything like she promised and send them to a place where they would have no way out. She would have to sacrifice one person to the Scam Factory. I'm Denise Chan, host of Scam Factory, and I have a brand new vintage of podcast for you. Fresh off the grapevine Blood Vines is a full bodied podcast that uncorks the never before told story of the Licciardi family, one of the most powerful wine dynasties in California's history. Jack Licciardi was the patriarch of one of the country's biggest grape suppliers for America's most popular wine, white Zinfandel. But things turned sour when the government began to investigate the business for multimillion dollar wine grape fraud. The case spilled over into a bloody battle for succession for the family business that almost brought down the entire industry and ended in murder. If you loved succession, then Blood Vines is the series for you. Grab a glass of your favorite wine and dive into a story that has notes of fraud and betrayal capped off with a big finish Murder. Listen to Blood Vines exclusively on Wondery. Join Wondery in the Wondery app, Apple podcasts, or Spotify. Charlie was standing outside her family home smoking again. It's where she did her best thinking. And Charlie needed her best thinking to solve this problem Dev had saddled her with. How the fuck was she going to recruit someone into the scam factory?

[Charlie]

I don't know anyone that I can bring in as an applicant. I don't know anyone.

[Denise Chan]

At this point, Charlie had given Dev both of her brothers, her brother's girlfriend, and her brother. She really didn't want to end up shipping her whole family off to the compound. She needed someone new, someone she wasn't related to, and someone who wouldn't freak out when she told them what the job was. Which was the challenge, because this wasn't a normal job. Who would want to be a scammer on purpose? This was a lot harder than calling up a travel agency and bullshitting about a vacation to Thailand. And a lot more messed up on a conscience level, too. Charlie was going to have to convince someone to take a shady job. But she had no choice. If she wanted to see her brothers and if she wanted to stay in Deb's favor, she had to do this. She didn't know what would happen if she failed, if Dev got mad or disappointed, and that was a risk she couldn't take. She needed to find someone.

[Charlie]

I was like, where am I going to find this person?

[Denise Chan]

She thought about the qualifications needed for the job. Someone who spoke English well and had experience interacting with customers. Then it came to her.

[Charlie]

And then I was like, oh my God. So I worked in a call center company in the Philippines, right?

[Denise Chan]

In a previous job, Charlie had worked as a customer service representative. She figured someone who worked in a call center would be the perfect candidate. She texted an old coworker I tried my luck.

[Charlie]

Maybe she knew someone.

[Denise Chan]

But Charlie needed to be careful with how she phrased her question.

[Charlie]

I told her, hey, do you know someone who wants to work in this kind of industry?

[Denise Chan]

This kind of industry? The job she was recruiting for was illegal. The fact that she was recruiting was illegal. Who knew how this person would react to Charlie's casual inquiry?

[Charlie]

I told that person, my friend, that this is going to be the job. Yada, yada, yada. And then what exactly did you say.

[Denise Chan]

When you say yada yada yada? Like, what did you tell them?

[Charlie]

Encoder. Because that's what Dev told me. So I told this friend of mine, it's going to be like an encoder based in Thailand.

[Denise Chan]

The job was for an encoder. It's a basic data entry position and it would be based out of Thailand.

[Charlie]

But the good thing about this friend of mine, she's fully aware. She said that, oh, I know that it's going to be scamming. She said, yes.

[Denise Chan]

At least as Charlie tells it, her friend was picking up exactly what she was putting down.

[Charlie]

She said that, I know one person who can help you. She's already doing, like, that kind of stuff. I cannot totally say scamming job, but something similar.

[Denise Chan]

Similar sounded good to Charlie. She had her target.

[Charlie]

I contacted this girl and then I told her, this is going to be the job.

[Denise Chan]

Now, Charlie says this woman didn't seem fazed by the whole scam part.

[Charlie]

She said, I'm full aware. My partner, she have a brother and a sister. They are also working in the same industry. I was like, oh, yeah, I was fully aware. And then she said that, can I bring my partner with me because I cannot go out without her. I was like, maybe, yeah, maybe. Yeah.

[Denise Chan]

Yes. Charlie couldn't believe her luck. She hadn't had to handle any objections or make any earnest promises. And she was about to land not one, but two recruits.

[Charlie]

And then I talked to the partner. I told her, this is going to be a job. And then she said, yeah, I'm fully aware of that.

[Denise Chan]

All this woman really wanted to know was how much would they be making.

[Charlie]

So I asked Deb how much will be their salary. And then Deb said that they are not going to be with the same company with your boy. This is going to be a big one, different company. So they decided it would be big. So it's $1,000.

[Denise Chan]

Charlie told them the salary was $1,000 a month. The women were in.

[Charlie]

And then the next day she called me. Hey. I told my sister about that were leaving.

[Denise Chan]

She wanted to join.

[Charlie]

I was like, sure.

[Denise Chan]

Suddenly she had three recruits and every time her phone rang, the number went up.

[Charlie]

And then after maybe a few days, her sister, she said that, hey, I have two friends. They are team leaders as well. Same company. They wanted to join us. They wanted to go with us.

[Denise Chan]

Charlie had only been asked to get one person and now she had five. And again, according to Charlie, she felt she'd been honest with them, or mostly honest with them.

[Charlie]

I said, guys, this is the job. This is the job. So you're okay doing this job? I said, don't mind because it's just. You told us it's just a one year contract.

[Denise Chan]

You told them Myanmar?

[Charlie]

No, I said that it's going to be mesat then they will cross the river. But it's already the. It's already a part of Myanmar.

[Denise Chan]

Charlie is saying that she gave these women enough information to deduce that they were going to Myanmar. They could do the math. You're crossing a river from Massot, which if you look at a map means only one are going to Myanmar. Look, she had five women who she felt were totally fine with taking a year long scamming job for $1,000 a month. She was not about to muck it up by getting into the Myanmar of it all. She left that detail for them to figure out. And sure, Dev had lied to her about Max's salary. So Charlie had no idea if these women would actually make the money Dev promised. And there was also the detail that Charlie was trying to get her brothers out of the same place she was sending these women off to. But for Charlie, what she told them was good enough. It had to be, because she needed to close this sale. She needed to prove herself to Dev.

[Charlie]

And he is so freaking happy. He even covered my plane ticket. And he even gave $200 pocket money for those people. He was very impressed.

[Denise Chan]

For someone who insisted she didn't know how to do this, Charlie had delivered with flying colors on her first try.

[Charlie]

I was like relieved that I will be able to give him five people. He just asked for one.

[Denise Chan]

Charlie was proving herself to be very, very good at this. The problem was she would soon regret every last bit of this victory because these women would go to the compound and settle right in. In fact, two of the five quickly started to climb the corporate ladder inside the scam factory. Within a couple months, they were promoted. They started a whole new HR department inside the compound that focused on recruiting Filipino workers. Charlie's recruits became recruiters themselves. And Charlie's colleagues, because Charlie started to arrange travel for their recruits too. Which is how Charli would find herself in a group chat called God Bless with her two recruits turned recruiters and a young Filipino woman named Jella coaxing her into the compound.

[Jella]

It was already too far from Bangkok.

[Denise Chan]

Jealous stood with her phone in one hand and the handle of her luggage in the other. She had just gone through an immigration checkpoint on the Thai border. She was at one end of a long bridge. Behind her was Thailand, and at the other end was Myanmar. The bridge was called the Friendship Bridge. But Jella was scared out of her fucking mind.

[Jella]

I already want to back out. And it was so very scary.

[Denise Chan]

Beside her were two Chinese men and a local Burmese woman. Her escorts. They didn't speak English, but they encouraged her to step forward to start walking across the bridge. The bridge had pedestrian walkway on either side. In the middle, cars and bikes whizzed by. On both sides of the bridge were colorful buildings and billboards in Thai. Below the bridge was a muddy river. It looked like a totally normal bridge, but Jella did not want to take another step forward. She pulled up the group chat called God Bless with her recruiters and Charlie.

[Jella]

I asked her that we're crossing the bridge so it was really Myanmar. And they said yes.

[Denise Chan]

Jella was horrified.

[Jella]

That's the time I realized that I was lied to.

[Denise Chan]

She had asked these women multiple times whether the job was in Myanmar, and each time they said no, it was in Thak province in Thailand. But here she was being pushed across a bridge into Myanmar. They had lied and now they were trying to make it seem like it was no big deal.

[Jella]

Yes, it was Myanmar, but don't you worry, guys, because you have a visa, so you are allowed to stay in Myanmar and you are a valid entry.

[Denise Chan]

Jella asked, is this the way they'd be getting out too? She tacked on a nervous hehe. Jella, by the way, isn't the confrontational type. She often masks her fear and softened hahas and emojis. But despite what she was texting, Jella was terrified. Charlie responded, you'll be able to leave from both Thailand and Myanmar. Jella panicked. Charlie didn't answer the question she was actually asking, which was why the hell was she in Myanmar and how the hell was she going to get out? Jella looked around and considered making a run for it.

[Jella]

In front of me there are some people with guns. And then I face at the back of me, there are people with the guns too. At the bottom of the bridge, it was a river. So I have nothing to go except to follow the instructions.

[Denise Chan]

Her escorts gestured for her to keep it moving. When she got to the other side of the bridge, men with camouflage uniforms and guns greeted her. She sent another text to the group chat asking about these soldiers. She asked if she was safe with these men. The women in the group chat responded.

[Jella]

That was our escort. The military, they want to hurt you. We need to go and continue walking and follow that person.

[Denise Chan]

Charlie and the recruiters kept insisting it was safe. She should go with the armed men. They would protect her. Jella felt trapped. She didn't have a choice other than to step forward.

[Jella]

It was a matter of life and death, so I need to follow instructions. I'm just thinking that if I escape, what will happen to me? And then if I go through, what will happen to me too?

[Denise Chan]

Jella was facing the same same question as every person pulled into the Scam Factory. What is more dangerous to do as they say or not? It's the same question Charlie faced when recruiting five women in order to visit her brothers, keep Dev happy and do as he asked or risk the chance that she may never see them again. But choosing to please Dev to get her brothers out of the Scam Factory would end up costing her more than she could ever possibly repay.

[Charlie]

My face went blank. I cannot undo that. I lied to them. I am already one of them.

[Denise Chan]

That's on the next episode of Scam Factory. Follow Scam Factory on the Wondery app, Amazon Music, or wherever you get your podcasts. You can binge all episodes early and ad free right now by joining Wondery in the Wondery App or on Apple Podcasts. Before you go, tell us about yourself by completing a short [e-mail] survey if you have a tip about a story you think we should investigate, please write to [e-mail] Tips from Wondery this is episode two of six of Scam Factory, a story about a brother, his sister, and the big business of lies. Scam Factory is written, reported and hosted by me, Denise Chan. Our story editor is Lou Okowski. Senior Producer is Claire Chambers Associate Producer is Evangeline Barras Reporting by Wijitra Duang Di Additional reporting by Jonvik Mateo Additional production assistance from Emily Locke, Malachi Wade and Mariah Dennis. Audio assistance by Daniel William Gonzalez Sound design and mixing by Jamie Cooper Sound supervisor is Marcelino Villalpando Original score by Tangeline Bolton Music supervisor is Scott Velasquez For Frison Sync Senior Managing Producer is Lata Pandya Managing Producer is Heather Baloga, Senior Development Editor is Rachel B. Doyle. Fact Checking by Jacqueline Colletti Executive producers are Julia Lowery Henderson, George Lavender, Marshall Louie and Jen Sargent for Wondery.

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