Dr. from the Chinese Academy of Sciences tells the horror of Myanmar: No matter how high the education level is, people can be deceived
The steamboat swayed and sailed towards the opposite bank of the river, while Zhang Chuan sat on the boat, staring at the river in a daze.
In August 2022, after receiving an offer from a customer service representative of a Thai company, he first flew to Hong Kong, then to Bangkok, and then was taken to the small town of Mehso in northwest Thailand.
The security environment here doesn't seem very good, and he always feels uneasy. He called the agent several times. The other party repeatedly assured him of his safety and advised him to go to the new company first, "you can leave at any time if there are any problems.".
Both parents are ill, and my girlfriend recently found early breast cancer. The economic hole in the family is getting bigger and bigger.
He has very little money left on him and can't even scrape together the cost of traveling back to his home country. Reporting to the new company has become the only option.
On the other side of the river is Myawady in Myanmar, a notorious hub for online fraud. The group got off the boat and walked into the park where the company was located in less than 10 minutes.
As soon as they entered, everyone's phones and passports were taken away. Zhang Chuan's heart became even more agitated, "Can we still walk?"
A year's nightmare has begun. And Zhang Chuan's identity as a "Doctor of the Chinese Academy of Sciences" has attracted strong attention.
Just today, some media reported that "a doctor from the Chinese Academy of Sciences was scammed into sharing a Myanmar salary list with an average monthly income of 5000 yuan", which quickly became a hot topic on Weibo. Zhang Chuan clarified with Global People reporter that there was an error in the media coverage. The deadline for the payroll was July 2022, when he was still in China, so it was not a payroll in Myanmar.
"I only received 6000 yuan"
Zhang Chuan told Global People reporter that the so-called "customer service" is actually a "pig killing plate": searching for targets online, using carefully woven scripts and scripts to deceive the other party's money.
According to his recollection, there were about two to three hundred employees in the entire company, mainly young people in their twenties and thirties. Most people only have a junior or senior high school education, and he has heard that there is also a PhD, but he has not met the other person.
The company targets European and American personnel as victims of fraud, so all personnel follow a "European and American schedule": starting work at 10 pm and ending work at 3 pm the next day.
·The chat conversation of "pig killing plate" exposed by netizens. Image source network
The management issues performance requirements at the beginning of each month, and those who fail to meet them not only receive no salary but also physical punishment.
"There are many ways of corporal punishment, such as push ups, frog jumps, running... do it continuously for an hour without stopping, and there is someone behind to supervise. If it stops, use a stick to beat it." Zhang Chuan said, corporal punishment is a common occurrence for him.
He told Global People reporter that he didn't want to deceive others, so he added people to chat every day according to the requirements, and then found a way to "perfunctory" in the later stages.
According to Zhang Chuan, in his first month of joining the company, he received a salary that was "available for all new hires", equivalent to approximately 6000 yuan in Chinese yuan. "You'll only receive a commission if you get money later, otherwise you won't have a penny."
According to his observation, the employee commission ratio ranges from 3% to 12%, and employees with good performance will be promoted to management positions. The company scams 10 to 20 orders per month, ranging from as little as $5000 to as many as hundreds of thousands or even millions of dollars. These large orders are the main pillars of the company.
The dormitory is several hundred meters away from the office, and "two points and one line" almost constitutes Zhang Chuan's entire life trajectory.
He said that there are also KTVs and supermarkets in the park, but the prices are four or five times higher than outside the park. Employees like him who don't pay bills can't afford to spend.
Zhang Chuan wanted to escape, but the park was heavily guarded. He also finds it difficult to report to his family: the company allows them to make phone calls to their homes every once in a while, but there are people guarding the entire process, only allowing them to say things like "normal work" and "everything is safe".
Are you going to be trapped and die here? Zhang Chuan, unwilling to accept it, decided to take a risk.
·Map of a certain park in Miaowadi. Image source network
Been beaten up for leaking secrets
The fraud company has a "system supervision", responsible for patrolling the office area every day, monitoring the activity of employees, and checking for unauthorized software installation and sending of information on computers.
After a period of observation, Zhang Chuan found a patrol gap under the supervision of the system, installed a mobile phone simulator on his computer, bypassed the monitoring, and sent a distress email to his family.
In April of this year, Zhang Chuan talked to his girlfriend about the fraud patterns in the park and hoped that his girlfriend could help him preserve these pieces of evidence. But the chat information was not deleted in a timely manner and was discovered by the supervisor.
In the eyes of the fraud company, Zhang Chuan's behavior is a "leak" and a serious violation of the company's rules and regulations. The thug took Zhang Chuan to a prison like "military station", beat him hard with a wooden stick as thick as his calves, and then handcuffed him to the wall.
Zhang Chuan admitted that physical punishment usually doesn't hurt much, but this time he was beaten all over and almost couldn't walk. "They will control their strength, both fiercely and without killing anyone."
Zhang Chuan was locked up at the military station for over a month, and then transferred to a dormitory to continue his foot ban. Seeing that he had no intention of defrauding, the park demanded that the family prepare a ransom of 120000 yuan, and once the money is in place, release the person.
"It was really difficult at home, my girlfriend sold the car to make ends meet," Zhang Chuan recalled. Due to issues with the intermediary's account, the family was unable to successfully transfer the money.
Zhang Chuan told Global Times that it was a period of his greatest fear and despair.
"If it were really sold, I would have been trapped in the park for many years. They would raise the price for selling people. Originally, the ransom would cost 120000 yuan, but after being resold, it could become 200000 or 300000 yuan, which our family definitely cannot afford. This way, I won't see any hope of going out," he said.
Zhang Chuan is looking forward to his family's successful transfer every day, but his biggest concern is still here. At the end of July, the deadline given by the company had expired and he was resold.
·A list of compensation amounts for a fraudulent park has been circulated online. Image source network
Fraud exploits human weaknesses
Unfortunately, Zhang Chuan was sold to another company in the same park.
At the same time, some media reported that he was trapped in Myanmar. Because of his special status as "Doctor of the Chinese Academy of Sciences", the incident has attracted wide attention.
With the mediation of the Chinese police and embassy, the park agreed to release people on the condition of a ransom of 59000 yuan.
On August 24th, Zhang Chuan was sent out of the park and arrived in Thailand. The Chinese Embassy in Thailand has contacted him and notified the Thai police.
Due to the Thai visa being overdue, the Thai police transferred Zhang Chuan to the immigration office, and the subsequent repatriation process took more than ten days.
At 6:00 am on September 5th, Zhang Chuan finally arrived at Shanghai Pudong Airport.
·Zhang Chuan popularized the situation of Miao Wa Di on Weibo.
How can you be fooled by the doctor of the Chinese Academy of Sciences?
For months, this has been one of the most perplexing questions for netizens.
Zhang Chuan told Global People that he "stepped into the trap set by the other party step by step.".
Zhang Chuan graduated from the Institute of Earth Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and later engaged in postdoctoral research. Before going abroad, he worked in Lushan Botanical Garden of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, with a monthly salary of about 4500 yuan.
·Zhang Chuan's salary list in China. Respondents provide pictures
Zhang Chuan's girlfriend previously revealed in a media interview that Zhang Chuan had tens of thousands of yuan in debt due to currency speculation. Zhang Chuan confirmed with Global People reporter about the coin speculation, but he said that the main economic pressure is still due to the illness of his parents and girlfriend.
After submitting multiple resumes in China but receiving no response, he found a foreign "customer service" job through an online intermediary. "The company provides accommodation and meals, with a basic salary of 15000 RMB. If he does well, there will be a commission.".
My girlfriend once advised Zhang Chuan to stay in China, but Zhang Chuan still decided to take a break - the two had originally planned to get married, but the wedding date had been postponed time and time again.
"I thought at the time that a basic salary of 15000 yuan was a normal amount, not a ridiculous' cake 'that had problems at first glance, so there was no doubt."
The recruitment process seems to be quite formal. Zhang Chuan provided a health certificate and a certificate of no criminal record from a tertiary hospital as required, and the intermediary promised to help him apply for a visa.
The originally agreed workplace was in Singapore, but after a while, the agent said that Singapore's visa application was not easy and suggested that Zhang Chuan work at the Thai branch of the same group first, and wait until Singapore's entry policies are relaxed before going.
At that time, it was during the epidemic, and Zhang Chuan felt that this argument also made sense, so he agreed.
After arriving in Thailand, he found that there were seven or eight foreigners in the same batch who were about to join. They were accompanied throughout the journey and stayed in regular hotels. He did not raise any doubts as a result.
After the public opinion fermented, some people questioned Zhang Chuan's knowledge that the so-called "customer service" was fraudulent work.
Zhang Chuan denied this to Global People reporter. He said that before leaving, all his electronic devices such as his phone, computer, and USB flash drive were taken away, so there was no evidence left to prove that he was coerced.
At the same time, the park also requires him to sign and record a video, saying to the camera that he voluntarily went there.
"Being deceived has nothing to do with academic qualifications. Fraud exploits the weaknesses of human nature, and everyone has their own weaknesses," said Zhang Chuan.
After returning to China, many people around him advised him not to accept media interviews, but after much thought, he felt that he still needed to speak up and avoid more people suffering the same hardships.
"I have also noticed some unfriendly comments online, but the vast majority of people understand me." He wanted to warn people with similar experiences not to easily believe in "high paying" jobs abroad, and not to engage in fraud.
After learning about Zhang Chuan's situation, the teacher and classmates extended a helping hand one after another. At present, Zhang Chuan is looking for employment opportunities and hopes to work as a journal editor or science popularization advocate, making some contributions to society.
