Sahil forwarded me a news story at eleven at night. No message with it. Just the link.
The story was about a twenty-six year old from Hyderabad. He had seen a Facebook job ad. Digital marketing work in Bangkok. Good salary. The recruiter was polite on WhatsApp. Everything seemed real.
He flew to Thailand. A car was waiting at the airport.
They drove for four hours. He watched Bangkok disappear behind him. When the car stopped he was inside a compound with high walls and cameras at the gates.
His passport was taken. His SIM was swapped. He was shown a room with a laptop and a printed script. His job was to call people in India and convince them to invest money in a fake trading platform. He had a daily target. Missing the target had consequences.
Sahil called me after sending the link. He asked: how many people are stuck like this?
I told him the honest answer. Thousands. The Indian government has brought some back through embassy interventions. But the operations in Myanmar, Cambodia, and Laos recruit continuously. Every person rescued is replaced by a new person who saw a Facebook ad.
The young man from Hyderabad eventually got out after four months. He came back without his passport, without his savings, and with memories he does not talk about.
Sahil was quiet for a moment. Then he asked: how does someone know before they go?
The company should have a real address you can find on Google Maps. A phone number you can call and speak to a human being. Any job where the recruiter only exists on WhatsApp and the salary seems too high for the role and the travel is arranged in a hurry stop and check before you board.
Call the emigration helpline at 1800-11-3090 and verify the company before you go.
And install CYBX at home. Built by 63SATS, it blocks calls from fraud operations including those run by international networks before they reach your family in India.