Andy Greenberg’s nerve-racking feature for Wired recounts his relationship with Red Bull, a human-trafficking victim forced to work in a cyber-scam compound in Laos, defrauding people of their savings. A tense reporting procedural, Greenberg details Red Bull’s courageous commitment to disrupting exploitation, and his own efforts to determine whether his source can be trusted. A truly hair-rising read.
The message had no subject line and came from an address on the encrypted email service Proton Mail: “vaultwhistle@proton.me.” I opened it.
“Hello. I’m currently working inside a major crypto romance scam operation based in the Golden Triangle,” it began. “I am a computer engineer being forced to work here under a contract.”
“I’ve collected internal evidence of how the scam works—step by step,” the message continued. “I am still inside the compound, so I cannot risk direct exposure. But I want to help shut this down.”
More picks about scams and whistleblowers
The Student Behind a Phishing Empire
“£100m stolen across Europe . . . How did Ollie Holman do it?”
How To Make Millions As a Professional Whistleblower
“A little-known provision in US law permits anyone to blow the whistle on financial fraud — and potentially take home a percentage of the funds collected. One undercover sleuth has made a wild career out of it.”
The Squatters of Beverly Hills
“Or maybe he saw the empty home and realized that, with a little cunning, he could simply move in.”
Vigilantes for Views: The YouTube Pranksters Harassing Suspected Scam Callers in India
“Los Angeles-based Trilogy Media took ‘scambaiting’ to a new level, but some claim they’re gaining viral fame at others’ expense.”
An Alleged $500 Million Ponzi Scheme Preyed on Mormons. It Ended with FBI Gunfire.
“In Las Vegas, a lawyer with huge gambling debts is accused of a financial fraud that left hundreds of victims in its wake.”
The Pill Messiah
“Douglas Randall Smith would have you believe he’s on the verge of a medical breakthrough that could end the opioid epidemic and keep millions of people alive.”
