Listen Now: Scam Factory
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Hi, this is Laura Beal, and I want to thank you again for listening to Dr. Death. Over four seasons, we've explored how trusted professionals can exploit the systems that are designed to protect us. From Christopher Dunch's surgical disasters to Fareed Fata's poisonous treatments, we've seen how easily people can fall victim to those they trust the most. Today, I want to tell you about another Wondery series that examines a different kind of exploitation, one that could be lurking in your inbox right now.

Imagine helping your brother land a dream job abroad. Company seems legit and the opportunity looks perfect. But when he arrives, he discovers he's been lured into a nightmare. Inside heavily guarded compounds, thousands of people are held at gunpoint and forced to scam others or face deadly consequences. Scam Factory reveals a multi-billion dollar criminal empire operating in plain sight where victims become unwilling perpetrators.

Through one family's harrowing fight to save their brother, this series exposes the dark reality behind those suspicious messages that you get in your inbox. Like Dr. Death, Scam Factory shows how easily trust can be weaponized. But in this story, the victims face an impossible choice. Become part of the scheme that trapped them, or risk everything trying to escape.

I'm about to play a clip from Scam Factory where one character, Jella, learns horrifying news while she's trapped inside the Scam Factory. And while you're listening, follow Scam Factory on the Wondery app or wherever you get your podcasts. Jella kept her eye on the clock, counting down the minutes until 1 a.m. and the end of her shift. She couldn't wait to get to bed. Jella and her teammates began to gather their things to leave.

But their team leader told them, not so fast. Everyone needed to go out to the yard. They just said that it was a meeting with the boss, the team leader, and the translator. With the boss, the team leader, and the translators. This was never good news. Jelena and her nine coworkers made their way outside. The yard was kind of like a quad on a college campus, except with the guards around, it gave more prison yard vibes.

They lined up, five in each row. Jella stood at the front of the line. She looked around. Two-story concrete buildings, all painted in a stark shade of white. Glaring fluorescent lights pouring out of the windows and doors. On the first floor was where they spent long hours, day and night, scamming. On the second was where they slept in cheap metal bunk beds. The roofs were studded with floodlights that only added to the prison feel.

She looked down at the concrete beneath her feet. Such a sad contrast to the adventures on Thai beaches she thought she'd be having when she first met Charlie. A hush spread through the group as the boss began to speak. Beside him was a team leader and two translators. The boss started with an announcement. They were changing up the payment structure. It would now be tiered.

based on how much they were able to scam. That'd be great.

If you were good at scamming... But if you did not scam, you will only get $300. But if you were like Jella, this was terrible news. Jella was awful at scamming. Like, truly awful. She'd never gotten good at the dirty talk. She'd only gotten three clients to take it to video chat. But none of them were successfully blackmailed. She'd been moved over to another group with a new assignment. Scam people into buying things from a fake Amazon store.

That hadn't gone any better. So she'd been sent to yet another group. This time, someone else was doing the scamming. Jella just served as a warm body on camera for video calls. "I just like to see that you are real, you are not fake." Her coworkers would tell her what to say, and using an AI filter to alter her face, Jella would deliver her lines to the target. She didn't like doing this either.

And now, she was being told that her already meager salary would be tied to her poor performance. Jella's anxiety shot through the roof. But that wasn't all.

Her team leaders told them there would be harsher consequences for not meeting quota. No quota, no food. Duck walking, where grown adults are forced to squat and walk across the field while everyone watched. It was humiliating. She did not want to do this.

All Jello could think about was how much she fucking hated this place. How angry she was at Charlie. How desperately she wanted to get out. And then, one more update. They announced that by next month, we will be transferring to a different compound. A different compound? Jello was in a full-on panic now as her bosses explained that they were being transferred to another company. This new company operated out of a compound next door.

Jella was freaking out. She'd heard rumors about this other compound. Jella had heard they beat their workers with electric batons and paddles to punish those that didn't meet quota.

With her track record, Jella knew she was doomed. What if I will die here? So I need to leave this compound before we transfer to... If you like Dr. Death, you can listen ad-free right now by joining Wondery Plus in the Wondery app or on Apple Podcasts. Prime members can listen ad-free on Amazon Music. Before you go, tell us about yourself by filling out a short survey at wondery.com slash survey. To that compound, she had to get out of this situation.

The one Charlie helped put her in before it cost her her life. Binge all episodes of Scam Factory early and ad-free on Wondery Plus. Join Wondery Plus in the Wondery app or on Apple Podcasts.