Pregnant Namibian escapes brutal Myanmar scam hub nightmare

“I thought i was going to be sold for my organs or trafficked as a woman.”

Namibian national Augusta Carlos (25) believed she was stepping into a legitimate job abroad when she arrived in Thailand.

But her trip turned into a terrible nightmare.

“I thought I was going for a simple internet promotion job. They promised me N$11 000 (US$650) per month, with travelling, accommodation, food, everything covered. It sounded so professional.”

The opportunity came from a cousin who had been working in Thailand as an agent recruiting Africans for work in the Far East.

On instruction, Carlos underwent medical tests, sent the agency her CV and test results, and received quick approval via WhatsApp.

Within two days of having an interview with her potential employers, she was en route to Myanmar via Thailand to greener pastures – or so she believed.

“The whole thing started when we landed in Bangkok, the Thai capital. We were immediately photographed and guided by strangers.”

Carlos says everything she and another Namibian did on the same mission was monitored.

“From that moment, I knew I was in trouble,” she says.

Carlos says the two of them, were whisked through airports, muddy rivers, and forests by car and motorbike to Myanmar, where they were told they would be working.

The motorbikes carried them over treacherous mountains, she says.

Carlos says she and her travel partner were separated from other travellers and kept in small, overcrowded houses with little food, water, and no access to communication.

“An unknown man came to pick us up. From there, it started getting really scary, because this man started driving into the forest and not to the hotel the agency promised us.

“At that point, I was wondering Where are we going? And there’s no network. You can’t communicate. You can’t say anything, and this person who is driving us does not speak the same language.

“So you just keep quiet. At that moment, I already gave up,” she says.

Carlos says all they could do was pray.

The nightmare didn’t end there.

Once inside the complex in Myanmar where they were made to stay, Carlos says she realised she had stepped into “a fully operational scam hub”.

“Everything, every office, every car, every building was part of a syndicate,” she says.

Carlos says she and the group of Africans she was among were then taught how to create fake online identities, fake Facebook profiles, how to steal Instagram accounts, and even how to scam wealthy people through AI-generated video calls.

“My role was to make the targets fall in love with a fake persona. That’s how they stole their money.”

Carlos says she was not aware that this was what she signed up for.

She recounts scamming a single client out of US$68 000 (about N$1 million).

But the promised salary was never paid, she says.

“We were told if we didn’t make the company money, we got nothing. Only 5% commission if we succeeded. I wanted out,” she says.

Carlos says her attempts to contact her family were constantly monitored. The group’s phones were confiscated, and movement restricted.

After the ordeal, Carlos says many Namibians are involved in this type of scam.

“They work together with these ‘kidnappers’ and they get paid really well.

“I hope the Namibian government arrests them very soon, I have their names and I am willing to submit them to the authorities,” she says.

Carlos describes the ‘scam office’ as a mini-city, complete with clinics, pharmacies, restaurants, and dormitories, where more than 150 people from across Africa were trapped, learning to deceive others online.

THE ESCAPE

Carlos says falling pregnant eventually aided her escape.

“I was known as the stubborn one. At some point they told me they would teach me a lesson by locking me up in a room with no water or food for almost two weeks,” she says.

Meanwhile, her captors, the ‘agents’, demanded US$150 000 (about N$2.5 million) in ransom from her family, she says.

“I lost weight, I was praying constantly, and I had to play along to survive. I even told them I would finish the contract just to get an opportunity to escape,” she says.

“At some point, I fell pregnant because I had a romantic relationship with a South African man I had met there, who was also held captive.

“My pregnancy saved me because as a result they decided to let me go. I am still pregnant and I decided to have my baby even after they tried to force me to have an abortion.”

Carlos says she was lucky to have escaped, but the other Namibians stuck in Myanmar need the country’s help.

Her sister, Leopoldina Shikete, has confirmed the events, saying: “As soon as Augusta arrived in Thailand, she texted me, saying she feels unsafe and that they were told by the ‘agents’ to tell immigration offcers they are there on holiday.”

The Ministry of International Relations and Trade in a press statement on Tuesday says the people who held Carlos and her fellow Namibians hostage have been identified as part of an alleged transnational syndicate.

The syndicate is known for “luring foreign nationals to the region under the guise of legitimate employment, specifically targeting those seeking opportunities in online recruitment, education and sport”, the ministry says.

The government says it is working with Interpol to repatriate 24 Namibians who are yet to be classified as victims of trafficking in persons.

“While investigations are ongoing to verify whether these individuals are victims of trafficking in persons or other criminal circumstances, the government is prioritising humanitarian aid and repatriation regardless of the final legal classification of their cases,” the statement reads.

National police spokesperson deputy commissioner Kauna Shikwambi says: “The police are aware and are working in collaboration with the Ministry of International Relations and Trade. Government efforts are indeed ongoing.”

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