Unsuspecting, jobless youths trafficked to Chinese-run cybercrime factories in Laos are being trained to execute “romance-investment” scams—a calculated blend of online seduction and financial fraud. At these digital sweatshops, recruits are handed thick script booklets and told to memorise lines designed to trap mostly young Americans and Europeans. The targets are initially ‘love-bombed’ and then manipulated into wiring large sums of money under the pretence of investing in fake cryptocurrency platforms.
 
Unpacking the sugarcoated layers of deception, three Mira Road-based men told mid-day how scammers ensnare victims with fabricated affection, aimed at disarming skepticism and building false trust. Once emotionally entangled, victims are coaxed into transferring funds to bogus platforms. The scammers use deepfake videos, spoofed identities, and forged digital personas to create an illusion of legitimacy and intimacy.

Shaban Salim and Sayed Zakir Abbas. Pics/Diwakar Sharma