Recently, two Taiwanese sisters who worked in human resources for a scam syndicate in Cambodia were sentenced to 30 months and 28 months in prison, respectively. The sisters, surnamed Guo, are from Pingtung County, Taiwan, and are 28 and 25 years old, respectively.
The online gambling scam group they joined is located in the Bokor Mountain Park area of Sihanoukville, and is known externally as "Wangu Entertainment," "Wanyuan Entertainment," or "Wanyuan Group."
The judgment stated that the scam group is divided into a "Business Department" and a "Human Resources Department." The former is responsible for operating online, using gambling and investment scams to make profits, while the latter is responsible for recruiting personnel, including openly stating the job content.
After being introduced to the scam group, the Guo sisters were responsible for arranging drivers to pick up victims, handling passports, accommodations, and airport transfers.
According to previous news reports, the scam group deceived over 200 Taiwanese into Cambodia, then took away their passports and mobile phones, and restricted their freedom.
If the victims did not meet work expectations or attempted to escape, they were verbally threatened or even beaten, and then forced to ask their families for ransom to be released. The group's methods were cruel, with media quoting a victim saying, "It's pitiful. Inhumane, subjected to electric shocks, beatings, and starved."
The Guo sisters were not the masterminds, but between July and August 2022, they helped two victims with transportation and accommodation. The victims only realized they were scammed upon arrival in Cambodia, and their families paid 280,000 New Taiwan Dollars for their release.
They were initially sentenced by the district court to 40 months and 42 months in prison for violating the Organized Crime Act and obstructing freedom. After an appeal, the Kaohsiung High Branch Court considered their guilty plea and compensation settlement, and reduced their sentences to 28 months and 30 months, respectively, subject to appeal.
