W5 is investigating the global network behind cryptocurrency scams that have cost Canadians millions — and uncovered evidence that many of the scammers are victims of human trafficking forced to work in brutal conditions.
In the second part of its series, W5 speaks with Erin West, a former U.S. prosecutor and founder of Operation Shamrock, a nonprofit that investigates scam call centres targeting North Americans. West says many scammers are trafficked to compounds in Southeast Asia and compelled to work long hours under threat of violence.
“Torture inside these compounds is extreme,” West told CTV News. “That’s how you motivate people to do something they would not ordinarily want to do.”
West recently visited cyber fraud compounds in the Philippines, describing more than 35 buildings designed solely for scamming victims worldwide. She said being inside call rooms linked to billions in losses was “eerie.”
In part one of the investigation, W5 reported on an Ontario woman who lost $1.7 million and a P.E.I. man who lost $600,000 to similar crypto investment scams.
West said victims are targeted through persistent contact and grooming, convincing them they are part of a special investment opportunity. “They’ve been sold a dream,” she said.
Amnesty International has identified more than 50 scam compounds in Cambodia and documented beatings and torture of workers who refuse to comply. One survivor told Amnesty: “If you don’t work and do as they tell you, you get beaten.”
West said the stolen money flows to organized crime groups and warned that the industry is expanding beyond Southeast Asia into Latin America and Africa.
She also criticized social media platforms, including Meta, for not doing enough to remove AI-generated scam content. Meta said in a statement that scam ads violate its policies and that it is investing in detection systems, review teams and user reporting tools.
With profits soaring, West warned the problem is likely to grow unless access to victims is cut off.
“We have to stop the flow and stop these predators from accessing normal people,” she said.