What was supposed to be a dream job answering customer calls in Bangkok ended up being more of a “scam call centre from hell”, at least according to Duncan Okindo, a Kenyan man who has now hauled his alleged traffickers to court faster than you can say “data bundles, please!”
In a jaw-dropping petition filed at the Employment and Labour Relations Court, Okindo says he was duped into flying out for a sleek-sounding customer service gig in Thailand only to be illegally ferried across the Moei River (in what sounds like a scene from Prison Break: Southeast Asia Edition) and dumped into a secret cybercrime hub in Myanmar.
Once inside, Duncan claims, there was no calling customer care for help. Instead, he says he was forced to work long hours running online scams and stripped of his freedom and dignity and even had to undergo a forced HIV test. (Yes, that escalated real quick.)
His lawsuit, now certified urgent by the court, is naming names. The spotlight is on Gratify Solutions International Ltd, Virginia Wacheke Muriithi, and a list of other alleged culprits. Duncan, through his lawyer Lilian Nyangasi, accuses them of masterminding a transnational trafficking ring that uses sweet job offers to bait desperate job seekers and then traps them in modern-day digital slavery.
The court, clearly not amused, has already swung into action with a temporary order. No more recruiting or exporting Kenyan workers abroad for now, at least not by the accused.
Meanwhile, back home, Kenyans are left wondering, is your overseas job offer legit, or are you just one visa stamp away from starring in your episode of Narcos: Cyber Edition?
As the case unfolds, one thing is clear: Duncan’s ordeal is no joke, but how he’s flipping the script in court might just expose a global con game hiding behind job adverts and broken promises.
