Two Japanese rescued after being forced into border scam work

Pol Gen Thatchai Pitaneelabut and an interpreter talk to the Japanese victims at a police station in Kanchanaburi after they were rescued from a scam operation across the border in Myanmar. (Photo: Police TV) Thai police have rescued two Japanese men who said they were forced to travel to Thailand to work for a scam gang across the border in Myanmar, where they were made to defraud elderly people in Japan.

The two men told police they had applied for jobs after seeing an advertisement on social media promising high pay for working in Thailand for just a few days, according to Pol Gen Thatchai Pitaneelabut, a deputy national police chief.

The men contacted the person who posted the ad and were told that the employer would cover all travel and accommodation costs.

They later asked to cancel the trip but were threatened with death and told not to tell their families or anyone else about it, police said.

Upon arrival in Thailand, the men were taken to the western border in Kanchanaburi province. They said they were transferred between several vehicles to avoid official checks, before being smuggled into Myanmar to a scam compound guarded by armed men.

There they were forced to make hundreds of calls a day to elderly people in Japan, posing as government officials, police officers and prosecutors.

The men said they were not paid for their work. Their phones were confiscated and they were threatened with being sent to another country. They were also told they would have to pay a ransom to return home.

They eventually managed to contact their families and Japanese government agencies, which coordinated with Thai police to secure their rescue, Pol Gen Thatchai said on Friday.

The two Japanese victims identified by police as Kairi Goto, 21, and Jinn Shurakura, 20. (police photo)

The men told police that the compound might house 2,000 to 3,000 workers, mostly Chinese, as well as Westerners and other foreigners. The gang targeted victims in several countries, including the United States, China and Japan.

Both men underwent a Thai screening process that confirmed they were victims of human trafficking, police said. They are now receiving protection under Thai law.

Pol Gen Thatchai warned foreigners to be wary of job advertisements offering unusually high pay, particularly when recruiters offer to cover travel and accommodation costs but instruct applicants to enter Thailand as tourists or visa-exempt visitors.

People needing urgent assistance can call the Tourist Police hotline on 1155 around the clock, he said.