The Big Trace: Cybercrime, Slavery and the Hunt for Justice

It's not unrealistic to presume that all of us have been targeted by a 'pigbutchering scam', a form of investment fraud in which the victim is gradually convinced into parting with increasing amounts of money (named after the practice of fattening up pigs before they're butchered). These begin with seemingly innocuous messages over text, social media or dating apps.This is the initial bait and, as soon as the victim replies, the scammers start turning the psychological screws with promises of easy money which will inevitably lead - after days, weeks or even months of building trust - to convincing requests for an investment or loan. But the recipients of these scam texts are not the only victims.In fact, the people sending these texts are victims themselves. - in the past few years, thousands of people have been trafficked into dystopian scam compounds scattered across Cambodia, Myanmar and Laos.Lured in with lucrative offers for non-existent office jobs, they are then threatened with