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He Leaked the Secrets of a Southeast Asian Scam Compound. Then He Had to Get Out Alive

Andy Greenberg

created: Jan. 27, 2026, 11 a.m. | updated: Jan. 29, 2026, 7:59 p.m.

“And you will help me to expose this, right?”Thrown off, I told him he’d have to first tell me who he was. For the next few minutes, Red Bull warily answered my questions. Like most of his coworkers, Red Bull had been tricked by a fake job offer—in his case, to work as an IT manager for an office in Laos. This map shows the office and dormitory where Red Bull was kept. Red Bull told me he’d heard of people who were beaten and electrocuted for breaking rules, a female staffer who he believes was sold into sexual slavery, and other coworkers who mysteriously disappeared.

6 days, 19 hours ago: WIRED