When an opportunity for love or big money beckons online, it can be hard to say no -- or even question what is happening. But in the case of online scams, the dream relationship turns into a nightmare of merciless blackmail and lost savings.

This documentary follows both victims and former perpetrators of online scams. A young man from the German city of Hanover thinks he may have found love with a charming Asian woman he chats with online. But behind the seductive profile are scammers who use intimate photos of him to extort money.

A well-off retiree from Munich thinks he can grow his fortune with the help of an attractive business partner he met online, but suddenly contact is broken off and he realizes he has lost nearly a quarter of a million euros. When he tries to trace his money with the help of experts, he discovers he has fallen victim to a criminal network worth billions, based in Asia.

Two former perpetrators of similar scams reveal how they were held against their will in "scam camps” in Myanmar, forced to defraud victims around the world. Their dramatic escape and the documents they smuggled out now offer incredible insights into the brutal reality of this criminal industry. Investigators say that this new form of modern slavery has now replaced drug trafficking as the most lucrative crime in Southeast Asia.
 

Broadcasting Hours: 

DW English

WED 28.01.2026 – 01:15 UTC
WED 28.01.2026 – 04:15 UTC
THU 29.01.2026 – 09:15 UTC
THU 29.01.2026 – 16:15 UTC
THU 29.01.2026 – 21:15 UTC
FRI 30.01.2026 – 07:15 UTC
FRI 30.01.2026 – 12:15 UTC
SAT 31.01.2026 – 02:15 UTC
SUN 01.02.2026 – 08:15 UTC

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