Online Fraud Industry
- Peter K F Cheung SBS
- Jun 7, 2023
- 2 min read
FADE IN
Act 1
INT. STUDY - 20:30
TV is on. PETER is watching a documentary.
PETER (V.O.): Oh, a Chinese businessman flew to Thailand alone, was picked up at the airport, drugged and smuggled to Myawaddy, a township in Myanmar.
Watching.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): There, he was forced by gangs protected by juntas to run online scamming operations and to meet his monthly scamming quota.
Watching.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): If he refused to do it or didn't meet the quota, he'd be beaten up, or be sold and sent to high seas for organ harvesting!
Watching.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Fortunately, he escaped and lives to tell his story. Now, a bounty of $2 million is put on his head.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Wow, this's scary. How can this online fraud industry happen?
Act 2
INT. STUDY - 11:30
Smartphone in hand, Peter is checking "friend" requests from Facebook.
PETER (V.O.): I publish my works publicly. I don't mind facilitating others, whether men or women, to follow me.
Checking profiles.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): After confirming the requests, many would send me messages as if I'm yearning for them.
Checking profiles.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Now, I've taken a non-liberal approach. I've found out that nearly all of the new women requests have just a few recent posts.
Peter turns to Messenger notifications, Peter sees one: It's fate that we meet...
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I'm just too busy to have any fake online romance.
As he checks WhatsApp business notifications, Peter blocks over half a dozen communications.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): They're scams. I need neither meagre survey rewards nor well-paid jobs...
Checking his hotmail junk box, Peter deletes them all.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I get about 10 phishing mails each day.
Phone ringing. We hear: Unknown caller.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I've already stopped answering them.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I've two phone lines that I don't use. But strangers keep on calling them.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Is fraud the way human nature functions?
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Are they being forced to do so? I want to know more.
Peter surfs the web.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): The Golden Triangle region is characterized by its porous borders, complex ethic, political and military dynamics.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Some areas in the region may have limited economic opportunities. Online fraud is a way to earn income.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Weak regulatory oversight and law enforcement facilitate the online fraud industry there.
Recalling.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): In early 2020, hours after my appointment as a domain name dispute settlement panelist, a "hiredkiller12" sent me an intimidating email.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): He threatened that if I took down the domain names of his boss, he'd take my life and harm my family.
Recalling.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): It was just a passing-off case. But it reflected the significant amount of money at stake.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I immediately reported the case to the Police in Hong Kong and in Shanghai. But I haven't heard from them since.
Thinking.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Is nothing much can be done to eliminate the online fraud industry?
Act 3
INT. STUDY - 23:15
Peter works on his laptop.
PETER (V.O.): Amateurs hack systems. Professionals hack people too. While I sympathize slave fraudsters, I won't be fooled.
.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Modern slavery in the context of online fraud industry requires smart collaborative efforts to undermine success by fraud.
Peter stares his AI drawing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Meanwhile, I've given up the idea to travel to Thailand alone. I pre-empt the risk of being trapped in lawless scam centres.
FADE OUT
THE END
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