The Video Game That Transforms Gamers Into Scammers

Imagine being part of an online video game that shows the life of a real scammer. This time you aren’t playing against the scammer, but you are the fraudster yourself. You visit scam-prone areas and various scam centers and are forced to scam people globally. This is not a plot of a cyber crime drama , but of a viral Chinese game that shows the horrors and workings of the real-life Southeast Asian scam crime mafia. It tends to explore the scam center universe with fictionalized characters, who are eerily similar to real people. It is a first person video game where you are the protagonist. In this first-person interactive live-action movie game, you are no longer a bystander but the lead protagonist who is going to lead the scamsters. This game was developed by Jade Flame, a studio based in the western Chinese province of Sichuan.

“Lured by an online lover, you're trapped in a scam compound—a true hell where compassion kills and greed consumes. Will you burn this abyss down or be its guiding light? Rule with beauty or betray for life? Your choices decide everything: between life and death, heaven and hell.” This is the description of this game on Steam (a leading video-gaming website)

The protagonist of the game, who is essentially us, the player, is tricked by an online lover, and in the act of lust and desperation, the protagonist goes to visit his beloved online lover. After falling into the romance scam, you are kidnapped to ‘Eden’ , described as a sinister compound where you start with your high paying-job. You are taken into an office with multiple computer screens and thousands of employees, all forced into this. Several viewers have reported that this location seems similar to that of multiple real life scam centers in southeast asia, particularly in countries like Myanmar, Cambodia, Vietnam etc. Characters in the game appear to be conversing in Mandarin, but, there are texts that can be seen which are written in Burmese, Myanmar’s official language, indicating the true location of ‘Eden’ and how the game mirrors real life events. According to reports, scenes in the game look very similar to actual scam centers.

Allegedly, numerous people from all around the world have been illegally trafficked to various southeast asian countries (Myanmar, Vietnam, Cambodia) where all the victims have been forced into various nefarious underworld activities. Forcefully working in scam centers and scamming individuals is one of such activities. According to the US Treasury Department, these scam centers have cheated Americans alone $16.6 billion. In 2024, these various scam centers have cheated over $10 billion from Americans alone! Making these scam centers a massive global mafia network. The United States and United Kingdom have imposed sanctions on those who have any sort of links with these scam compounds. These scam compounds infamously are known to use forced labor, through human trafficking networks. The treasury highlighted often traffic and forced workers to conduct frauds, including “pig butchering schemes” (investment frauds).

According to data compiled by the Bureau of Immigration under the Ministry of Home Affairs, approximately 29,000 to 30,000 Indian Nationals who travelled to Southeast Asia between 2022 and 2024 have not returned back. These individuals are believed to be trapped in various “cyber slavery” rings, where they are coerced into compelling online fraud and crypto-scams. Approximately 30,000 Indians, primarily aged between 20 - 39 are unaccounted for after travelling to countries like Cambodia, Thailand, Laos, and Vietnam.

Scenes, in the video game ‘Blood Money: Lethal Eden’ , look strangely similar to actual real-life scam compounds. The office where our protagonist is kidnapped in, has thousands of computer screens and electrical equipment used by scammers. When this game started going viral online, users had mixed reactions. Some criticized the game for encouraging scams and frauds, and others appreciated the brutal realism the game portrayed. For example Facebook user Bari Khan posted- “Creating games based on real-life tragedies is as impactful as it is sensitive. This game allows people to experience the psychological trauma of the victims. The discussion surrounding this game is a testament to the deep-seated fear that this growing crisis has instilled in the minds of the general public across China and neighboring regions.” This shows the polarizing reactions the game has received.

This game has led to many discussions and debates in China about the human cost of many of these scam mafia networks. As of 2 Feb 2026, the Chinese government has executed four leading members of Myanmar based crime syndicates, a Chinese court said on Monday, the Chinese government is clearly ramping up a crackdown on cross-border telecom fraud. According to the court, the group ran fraud parks in northern Myanmar's Kokang region, where their actions led to the deaths of six Chinese citizens and injuries to "many" others.

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has set up a task force to investigate this issue. As of late 2024, hundreds have been rescued, with one report mentioning 47 rescued in Laos and 360 in Cambodia.

Although, video games are primarily meant mainly for entertainment, including ‘Blood Money: Lethal Eden’. But, what makes ‘Blood Money: Lethal Eden’ different is that it showcases the realities of cyber crimes, scam-centers and the slave-workforce used in them. Making it one of the most important and influential video games of our time.