According to Taiwanese media outlets United Daily News and China Times, the victims, all from Taichung City, believed they had signed up for a free vacation and short-term work in local casinos that promised high pay.

However, upon arrival in Bangkok late last year, their passports were confiscated and they were held at gunpoint before being transported across the border into Myanmar.

The three women who managed to return home said the traffickers "screened" them and deemed them too old for telecom fraud work. Instead, they were held for ransom - reportedly of at least NT$300,000 (US$10,000) per person. While in captivity, they were monitored by guards and subjected to beatings, verbal abuse, and constant threats.

Three older victims were later released, while five younger individuals were forced to work in an online fraud operation.

They were eventually released after their families paid the ransom and have since returned to Taiwan on their own. The victims are now urging the public to remain cautious and avoid falling for seemingly lucrative job offers or free travel schemes.

"If you haven't boarded the plane yet, there's still a chance to escape," one of the women warned.

According to 8World News, Taiwanese police have launched a crackdown on the human trafficking ring, arresting a 25-year-old ringleader surnamed Zhang and four accomplices in Taichung and Changhua.

Authorities are still searching for the five victims who remain missing and are urging the public not to trust overseas job or travel invitations from unknown sources to avoid falling into human trafficking or cross-border scam networks.