Starved, beaten and electrocuted, Ahmed remains traumatized months after being trafficked to Southeast Asia, one of an untold number of Africans forced to work in scam centers far from home.

The complexes have flourished across the region, often staffed by foreigners who are made to swindle people in what analysts say is a multibillion-dollar industry.

Among them are Ethiopians, like 25-year-old Ahmed, who sign up for the promise of well-paid jobs.