Every day, digital scams flood our phones. Behind many of these messages are real people – trapped, exploited, and forced to perpetrate scams against their will.
✖️ 50 million people globally trapped in forced labor
📱 80% of text-based scams exploit trafficking victims
💲 Forced scamming generates more than US$ 11 billion annually
Human trafficking is closer than you think.
Forced scamming is one of the fastest-growing forms of human trafficking.
Across Southeast Asia, criminal syndicates use social media to lure unsuspecting job seekers with fraudulent opportunities that are too good to refuse. They promise high-paying, white-collar jobs, and even offer travel and accommodation.
But upon arrival, victims have their passports, IDs, and phones confiscated. They are left isolated and powerless to seek help. Trapped in unfamiliar surroundings, victims face brutal treatment. Escape is impossible.
Victims of forced scamming are often educated professionals. But they soon find themselves enslaved in a lucrative criminal industry that generates over US$ 11 billion every year.
At 17, a TikTok job offer should have been harmless. Instead, it led Grace into trafficking.
Grace grew up in a loving family in Thailand. During a school break, she saw a job advertisement on TikTok. It sounded like a great opportunity to earn money to save for university.
With her family’s blessing, Grace and her best friend decided to take the job offer.
But it was a lie. The ad had been posted by a trafficking ring.
At Hagar, we believe ending human trafficking will take all of us working together. Our proven model tackles human trafficking in three ways.
Whether you donate, get informed, or report suspicious activity – you can help break the cycle of exploitation and restore hope to survivors. Together we can help every woman and child experience the freedom and dignity they deserve.
