Man poses as rescuer, extorts thousands of dollars from trafficking victims in Cambodia
In the southern province of Binh Duong, a 30-year-old man named Son Pha La was apprehended on charges of extortion after allegedly preying on human trafficking victims in Cambodia. Operating under the guise of a savior, La exploited vulnerable families seeking the return of their trafficked children from Cambodia. To carry out his deceitful activities, he collaborated with others and established a TikTok channel where he portrayed himself as a "knight" specializing in rescuing individuals subjected to forced labor across the border.
His fraudulent scheme came to light when two Cambodian women, aged 20 and 22, who were working in Cambodia and facing severe mistreatment, reached out to La through his TikTok channel for assistance. Seizing the opportunity, La demanded an upfront payment of VND170 million ($7,008) from the victims and an additional VND230 million upon their safe return to Vietnam. The women arrived at the border on December 22, after which La brought them to a café in Binh Duong, where he intensified his extortion attempts by threatening to sell them to Thailand if their family members failed to pay the stipulated amount.
As the transaction was underway, law enforcement officers intervened promptly, rescuing the victims and confiscating the extorted money. During subsequent police questioning, La confessed to colluding with human traffickers in Cambodia and engaging in extortion by contacting the family members of trafficking victims. The investigation into this elaborate scheme continues as authorities work to dismantle the criminal network and hold all perpetrators accountable for their actions.
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