Red Bull
I believe I posted a link to the Wired story when this originally happened earlier this year, but new circumstances warrant an update.
In January 2026, Wired published a story about "Red Bull," a young man who went to Laos ostensibly for a job as an IT manager. Instead, his passport was taken and he was forced to work in a major romance scam operation until he repaid his "debt" (which would, of course, never be repaid).
What made Red Bull different was his willingness to provide an enormous amount of documentation about how the operation worked, including thousands of WhatsApp messages in spite of the risk of being discovered. Even underperforming workers were physically abused, so it was incredibly courageous to expose the operation.
It was, in fact, at risk of his life.
The original Wired story (non-paywalled) is here: He Leaked the Secrets of a Southeast Asian Scam Compound. Then He Had to Get Out Alive.
He did get out alive, but he's still not safe. Instead of work in a computer field, he's waiting tables and lying low. What an awful reward for bravery.
Jonna H-F, a longtime reader, followed this story and contacted the Wired reporter (Andy Greenberg), who connected her with Red Bull, and the result is a GoFundMe to help him settle in a safe country where he can continue his education. He needs to enroll in a university to get a student visa, and there are complications and expenses involved.
This is an extraordinary individual who is entirely worthy of help, and it's a modest fundraising goal (26k).
Here's the link to the GoFundMe, and thank you for considering it: Help Scam Compound Whistleblower Rebuild His Life.
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