Man poses as rescuer, extorts thousands of dollars from trafficking victims in Cambodia

Son Pha La, 30, was arrested on Sunday to be investigated for extortion.

Pha knew that there were many families who wanted to pay money so that their children, who were trafficked to Cambodia, may come home, so he cooperated with others to create a TikTok channel, calling himself a “knight” who rescued people trafficked to Cambodia and put under forced labor.

Last week, two women working in Cambodia, aged 20 and 22, saw La’s TikTok channel and contacted him so he could rescue them as they were frequently beaten. La requested the women to pay him VND170 million ($7,008) upfront, and another VND230 million once they’re in Vietnam.

The woman reached the border on Dec. 22 and La brought them to a café in Binh Duong. He demanded the women’s family members to pay him VND230 million, or they would be sold to Thailand instead. When transactions were undergoing, police officers rushed in, rescued the women and seized the money.

At the police, La said he conspired with human traffickers in Cambodia and contacted family members of victims for extortion.

An investigation is ongoing.