Julian Morgans

Judah moved to the town of Mysot, which these days is just over the border from the largest concentration of scammer farms on the planet. But this was back in 2006, so the scammer farms hadn't yet been built. At that time, some of the region's biggest challenges were in education, so Judah set up an organization to help kids. It was called Global Advance Projects, and Judah still runs it today.

Judah moved to the town of Mysot, which these days is just over the border from the largest concentration of scammer farms on the planet. But this was back in 2006, so the scammer farms hadn't yet been built. At that time, some of the region's biggest challenges were in education, so Judah set up an organization to help kids. It was called Global Advance Projects, and Judah still runs it today.

But a few years ago, something started to change. And for Judah, the first indication was a whole lot of mysterious construction work over the border in Myanmar. He and his friends all talked about it and no one had any answers until about mid-2022 when something unexpected happened.

But a few years ago, something started to change. And for Judah, the first indication was a whole lot of mysterious construction work over the border in Myanmar. He and his friends all talked about it and no one had any answers until about mid-2022 when something unexpected happened.

Judah thought it was a ridiculous story. Some new African prince type scam. So he told his friend, hey, why don't you ask for more information? Tell her that we're going to need some national ID numbers, maybe a passport number, date of birth, just everything that you can think of.

Judah thought it was a ridiculous story. Some new African prince type scam. So he told his friend, hey, why don't you ask for more information? Tell her that we're going to need some national ID numbers, maybe a passport number, date of birth, just everything that you can think of.

Judah says that he drove to the top of a hill overlooking the Muir River into Myanmar. And he looked over at the area where this woman claimed that she was being held, and he saw that all of the construction was finished. And what stood there now was a cluster of four-story buildings behind a huge wall.

Judah says that he drove to the top of a hill overlooking the Muir River into Myanmar. And he looked over at the area where this woman claimed that she was being held, and he saw that all of the construction was finished. And what stood there now was a cluster of four-story buildings behind a huge wall.

It kind of looked like a university campus, except that it was floodlit and eerily silent, and he couldn't see anyone moving outside.

It kind of looked like a university campus, except that it was floodlit and eerily silent, and he couldn't see anyone moving outside.

Judah spent the next few weeks working with his local network and the Kenyan government to get this woman out. And it worked. They got her out. And from there, Judah's phone number got spread around inside the scammer farms.

Judah spent the next few weeks working with his local network and the Kenyan government to get this woman out. And it worked. They got her out. And from there, Judah's phone number got spread around inside the scammer farms.

Remember, this was 2022, and the world was just recovering from COVID. While the world had been distracted, Chinese organized crime had thrown together these buildings and smuggled in all of these thousands of people to run scams. And Judah, living right next door, he was one of the first to realize what had happened. And so the world's governments, they turned to him for answers.

Remember, this was 2022, and the world was just recovering from COVID. While the world had been distracted, Chinese organized crime had thrown together these buildings and smuggled in all of these thousands of people to run scams. And Judah, living right next door, he was one of the first to realize what had happened. And so the world's governments, they turned to him for answers.

In that year, 2022, the UNODC, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, published the first major governmental report on scammer farms, which managed to piece together some information about where these things had come from.

In that year, 2022, the UNODC, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, published the first major governmental report on scammer farms, which managed to piece together some information about where these things had come from.

What I want to do now is give you a brief history on scammer farms. And it's going to be a bit incomplete because their origin, ownership and financial structure, it's all murky by design. But here's what we do know, thanks to people like Judah. It all started with COVID. When the pandemic hit, a lot of things shifted around.

What I want to do now is give you a brief history on scammer farms. And it's going to be a bit incomplete because their origin, ownership and financial structure, it's all murky by design. But here's what we do know, thanks to people like Judah. It all started with COVID. When the pandemic hit, a lot of things shifted around.

For one, millions of tourists and gamblers couldn't visit the hundreds of casinos set up along the Mekong Delta region. If you've ever traveled through Southeast Asia, you might have seen these really shady casino towns set up in so-called special economic zones, or SEZs. And these are places where tourists come to gamble, take drugs, hire sex workers, and they're largely owned by organized crime.

For one, millions of tourists and gamblers couldn't visit the hundreds of casinos set up along the Mekong Delta region. If you've ever traveled through Southeast Asia, you might have seen these really shady casino towns set up in so-called special economic zones, or SEZs. And these are places where tourists come to gamble, take drugs, hire sex workers, and they're largely owned by organized crime.