Julian Morgans

And then his parents contacted the Ugandan government.

And then his parents contacted the Ugandan government.

This is a common problem. Myanmar has very few diplomatic ties with the rest of the world, so most governments say there's just nothing they can do. No one is willing to send their diplomats into a chaotic war zone or risk an armed extraction. So Kew was told, you're just going to have to wait. And meanwhile, his friends and family continued to contact anyone and everyone they think could help.

This is a common problem. Myanmar has very few diplomatic ties with the rest of the world, so most governments say there's just nothing they can do. No one is willing to send their diplomats into a chaotic war zone or risk an armed extraction. So Kew was told, you're just going to have to wait. And meanwhile, his friends and family continued to contact anyone and everyone they think could help.

As the weeks trickled past, Q got into a routine of texting friends and family at night and then charging his phone while he was working during the day.

As the weeks trickled past, Q got into a routine of texting friends and family at night and then charging his phone while he was working during the day.

Now Kew wasn't really across this, but something was happening in Uganda. His friends and family, they'd failed to arouse much interest in the case from the government. But the country's media had taken up the story. In fact, hundreds of Ugandans had vanished into Myanmar over the last three years. So suddenly the story was all over the nightly news.

Now Kew wasn't really across this, but something was happening in Uganda. His friends and family, they'd failed to arouse much interest in the case from the government. But the country's media had taken up the story. In fact, hundreds of Ugandans had vanished into Myanmar over the last three years. So suddenly the story was all over the nightly news.

And that's how the people running the scammer farm figured out that one of the Africans must have obtained a phone.

And that's how the people running the scammer farm figured out that one of the Africans must have obtained a phone.

Through all these raids, they never found Q's phone. He kept it with him in the office, or he managed to hide it. But that still didn't help. The mood was really tense, and his management team kept reiterating just who was in charge.

Through all these raids, they never found Q's phone. He kept it with him in the office, or he managed to hide it. But that still didn't help. The mood was really tense, and his management team kept reiterating just who was in charge.

The dark room. Also sometimes known as the black room. Every scammer farm has at least one. And they're not called dark rooms because they're actually dark. The name just refers to a mental state that these rooms create.

The dark room. Also sometimes known as the black room. Every scammer farm has at least one. And they're not called dark rooms because they're actually dark. The name just refers to a mental state that these rooms create.

A place where you stop thinking, where your mind goes dark. These rooms are modern torture chambers, and they're central to the power structure that allows scammer farms to operate. Most of the survivors that I've spoken to while making this series have spent some time in a dark room. And Q found himself in one after he and his friends came up with a plan to storm the fence.

A place where you stop thinking, where your mind goes dark. These rooms are modern torture chambers, and they're central to the power structure that allows scammer farms to operate. Most of the survivors that I've spoken to while making this series have spent some time in a dark room. And Q found himself in one after he and his friends came up with a plan to storm the fence.

They were facing more and more scrutiny as the story of the kidnapped Ugandans ran in the news. But meanwhile, their diplomatic efforts to get released, they just, they seem to be stalling. So their next plan was an old school jailbreak.

They were facing more and more scrutiny as the story of the kidnapped Ugandans ran in the news. But meanwhile, their diplomatic efforts to get released, they just, they seem to be stalling. So their next plan was an old school jailbreak.

It was a very loose and pretty desperate plan and they were going to do it at night after lights out but they never even got a chance.

It was a very loose and pretty desperate plan and they were going to do it at night after lights out but they never even got a chance.