But there are other far worse consequences than these traps. And in recent weeks I've noticed growing attention in the United States and China on the scammers behind these crimes, who often fall victim to fraud. A new book in English, a film in Chinese, and numerous media reports in both languages are now shedding light on the fascinating (and terrifying) aspects of the horrific trend of human trafficking.
To give you an idea of the scale, Binance, one of the largest cryptocurrency exchanges , released data last week showing a huge increase in the number of pig slaughter scams reported by the company – a 100.5% increase from the 2022 to 2023. , although there are still a few months left for this year.
A similar trick became the subject of a new Chinese film that unexpectedly became a blockbuster. "No More Bets" focuses on two Chinese men who are lured to Myanmar by the promise of high-paying jobs; Trapped abroad, they are forced to resort to boredom, but, overwhelmed, they finally manage to escape. But many of their friends have been abused, raped or even killed for doing the same.
While the plot is fictional, it was adapted from dozens of interviews conducted by the film crew with the real victims, some of which appear at the end of the film. (I'll probably see the movie when it opens in the US on August 31st.)
Many petty thieves were forced to commit crimes. They leave their homes in hopes of finding permanent work, but once they enter a foreign country – usually Myanmar, Cambodia or the Philippines – they are captured and cannot leave.
Since its release on August 8, the film has grossed nearly $470 million at the box office, making it one of the 10 biggest movies in the world this year , even though it was only released in China. It has also dominated social media discourse in China, inspiring more than a dozen trending topics on Weibo and other platforms.
At the same time, investigations by Chinese journalists confirmed the reliability of the film's plot. In a podcast released earlier this month, Sino-Malay survivor Wang Zhiyan, an overseas Chinese investigative journalist, was lied to by recruiters and forced to become a copycat in the Philippines. There, 80% of his colleagues were from mainland China, the rest from Taiwan and Malaysia.