Trapped in the Triangle: Taiwanese DJ and Friend Trafficked in Southeast Asia Scam Network
- Global Anti-Scam Org
- Nov 2
- 7 min read
By Yuna Lee
June 2025 – Cambodia
What began as a promising DJ opportunity abroad turned into a months-long nightmare for Lin Yong Jie, a Taiwanese artist who found himself entangled in a human trafficking syndicate operating in Southeast Asia. In an exclusive interview, Lin shares the chilling details of his abduction, forced confinement, and eventual escape—shedding light on the growing trend of transnational scam operations targeting young professionals.
He was not alone. Traveling with him was his longtime friend and fellow Taiwanese citizen, Zhan Zhengfang (詹正芳), a woman who was known within the scam compound under the alias Zi-Liang （子良).. Both were promised short-term work. Neither imagined they’d be sold between criminal groups like property.
“They told us we’d be DJs at a company party. Instead, we were trafficked, detained, and nearly disappeared.”— Lin Xiao Jie
A Seemingly Innocent Invitation
The nightmare began with what looked like a fan message.
While still in Taiwan, Lin received a direct message via Instagram from someone he had met at a music festival years earlier—a man named Zhuang You-Yin (莊柔吟), who presented himself as a long-time supporter of Lin’s DJ career.
The message was friendly and familiar at first. But soon, Zhuang made a proposal: his company in Laos’s Golden Triangle was looking for a DJ to play at their upcoming year-end party and for club residencies afterward. He claimed the operation was run entirely by Taiwanese nationals and offered NT$4,500 (150 USD) per hour for the work. Zhuang also told Lin to bring his own DJ equipment, promising that accommodation and other arrangements would be taken care of.
When Lin agreed, Zhuang told him that a “friend” would handle the logistics, including escorting Lin and his colleague, Zhan Zheng Fang (nickname Zi-Liang ), to the airport in Taiwan. Everything seemed organized and credible—right up until the moment they landed in Laos.
“He messaged me like a true fan, someone who had followed my career for years. I never imagined he was part of a trafficking group,” Lin said.
From Performers to Prisoners
They arrived in Laos on November 15, 2024, landing at around 4:50 p.m. After a brief hotel check-in, they were taken to inspect the performance venue. That evening, they played what they were told was the company’s year-end party.
Soon after, the company requested their passports to process visas. Lin and Zi continued performing at local bars and clubs. But when they asked for payment, they were told to visit the company office to receive it.
Instead of being paid, their phones were seized. They were told not to contact anyone. It became clear they had been deceived.
“They lured us back to the office. Once inside, they confiscated our phones and told us we couldn’t contact anyone. That’s when we realized we’d been tricked,” Lin recalls.
Zhuang You-Yin (莊柔吟), the "fan," was in fact a unit leader within a trafficking syndicate.
“Do the Work or Pay to Leave”
The pair were told they could either cooperate or pay to buy their freedom. Lin, desperate to return to Taiwan where his girlfriend was pregnant, begged to leave. He was told to come back with a large sum of money or reconsider.
“He said, ‘You’re already here—might as well make good money.’ But I didn’t come to be part of a scam.”
Instead of being released, they were sold to a second scam compound for ¥27,000 RMB (approx. US$3,700) and transferred around January 13–14, 2025. The new company was told the two had come willingly but were “disobedient.”
Surveillance, Deception, and a Hidden Phone
At the new site, Lin and Zi were placed under strict surveillance. Personal phones were confiscated. They were issued “work phones” that were inspected daily.
“I managed to hide my real phone in a safe during a moment of distraction. That’s how I started planning our escape,” said Lin.
But before they could act, the two were abducted again—this time by force.
Blindfolded, Bound, and Trafficked to Cambodia
They were shoved into a vehicle, blindfolded, and smuggled across the Mekong River. Along the way, they were held in a dark, windowless room, and later spotted signage for Vientiane before continuing into Cambodia.
On February 18, 2025, they arrived at Chrey Thum , Golden Fortune Park , a notorious scam compound where the group that transported them received US$12,000 upon delivery. Lin and Zi were told they’d begin "training" until scam operations began.
Two Months of Planning: An Escape in Motion
For the next two months, Lin observed the compound’s logistics. He studied guard rotations, truck delivery schedules, and mapped out blind spots. On March 29, he executed his plan.
“During a delivery, I climbed onto a fuel truck and hid under the tank. I stayed flat until it got me past the gates.”
While Lin managed to escape, Zi did not. Fearing that a joint escape would raise alarms, they had agreed only one would attempt the plan to increase the odds of success.
Refuge in Phnom Penh — and Betrayal Again
After escaping the compound, Lin made his way to Phnom Penh, where he sought refuge by contacting BUMP—an influencer known for aiding trafficking victims—and a Taiwanese influencer who operated a fried chicken shop in the city. He briefly stayed at Zhongxin Hotel, a Taiwanese-run establishment, but with no funds, he had to rely on help from locals.
However, word of his escape spread quickly.
Members of the trafficking syndicate somehow tracked his movements, even identifying his contact with influencers. Less than a month later, Lin was recaptured by the network.
“They told me I was famous inside the compound network. I’d become a target,” Lin said.
He still does not know how they found him, as he had been using his own private phone to communicate. While staying at the fried chicken shop, the scam syndicate reportedly threatened the shop’s owner, warning they would shut down his business in Phnom Penh if he continued helping Lin.
He was beaten and forcibly returned to captivity, then transferred to a fourth compound near the Vietnam–Cambodia border (Image on the left)—later verified by our team as another scam center. The site, roughly a three-hour drive from Phnom Penh, lies along a stretch of road where our team had previously been to assist another trafficking victim. During that mission, we observed multiple scam compounds under construction, highlighting the expanding infrastructure of trafficking operations in the area.
While at this compound, Lin managed to contact us—via Facebook, just one day before he was due to be sold to another syndicate. He warned us of the impending transfer and asked for help. We informed him that a coordinated rescue would not be immediately possible, as it typically takes three to four working days for local police to intervene in such cases.
Instead, we advised Lin to attempt an escape during transit—a moment of vulnerability when victims are sometimes moved by car and less securely guarded. Our plan involved a trusted driver who could retrieve him along the way, avoiding both the police station and further captivity. However, Lin later told us that the route was isolated and desolate, with no stops or urban areas. The vehicle did not pass through Phnom Penh, making the escape unfeasible.
We warned him: if the plan failed, he would need to survive the transfer and re-establish contact, providing a secure location where he could remain stationary for at least four days—enough time for us to organize a second extraction.
Shortly after, he was moved again—this time to a newly renamed facility known as Junyi Park, formerly Pacific Park, located within Chrey Thom.
Junyi Park is not just another scam compound. It is officially sanctioned by the UK government for its involvement in serious human rights abuses linked to human trafficking, torture, and forced labor. The facility was included in the UK’s Global Human Rights Sanctions Regulations (2020) list in December 2023, with British authorities stating that the site is part of a broader network facilitating modern slavery and organized crime in Southeast Asia.
A Final Plea and Rescue
Through cross-border cooperation and media attention, he was finally rescued and extracted safely.
He is now in recovery, and working with authorities to help locate and rescue Zhan, who remains unaccounted for.
“She came with me. I got out. She didn’t. I owe her more than this.”