News Corp Australia reported on June 14 that a Chinese couple was charged with human trafficking for allegedly luring foreign workers to Australia with false promises.
The 36-year-old female victim was an experienced masseur. In September 2023, she saw a job advertisement in the Philippines and applied for the job as a masseur and came to Australia.
The federal police were informed that the Chinese couple told the victim that they would apply for a student visa for her when they came to Australia. But when the victim came to work in Perth, the couple changed their minds, not only withholding her passport, but also forcing her to work, deducting her salary, and making her pay some unreasonable debts.
Police have filed charges against Yuteng Zhang, a 32-year-old Chinese citizen, and Jess Fang Ching Tang, 37. They reside in Ocean Reef, north of Perth.
(Image source: News Corp Australia)
The two were scheduled to appear in Perth Magistrates' Court on Friday, but the trial was postponed. The couple was charged with forcing the victim woman to work and paying unreasonable debts, withholding her passport, and providing false information in her visa application.
Police said the couple only granted the victim a tourist visa, not a work visa. They filled in false information in the visa materials and falsely claimed that they would apply for a student visa when she arrived in Australia.
(Image source: News Corp Australia)
When the couple met the victim at Perth airport, they took her passport.
When she started work, they put out a list of all kinds of expenses to be deducted from her salary, including student visa fees, massage oils and other items.
Police said the victim was not given any official pay stubs and was told not to make friends in the local area and was forced to live in the company.
A few weeks later, the victim went to Perth to take the English test required for a student visa. During the exam, Zhang Yuteng gave her some cash to deposit into her bank account to meet the visa requirements.
The victim was also asked to deposit the cash in small amounts over several days, and when she got the bank statement to prove that she had a deposit in the account, she was forced to withdraw the money bit by bit and return it to Zhang Yuteng.
The couple also claimed that the victim owed them money for English test fees, student visa fees, tuition fees, and new equipment for the massage parlor.
News Corp Australia reported that although the couple asked the victim to pay the school fees, they told her that she could not go to class at all because the school was too far away and they lied that they would find someone to go to the class for her so that she would not be expelled from the school.
Zhang Yuteng also falsely claimed that the victim's student visa application had been denied, but refused to show her the visa refusal documents.
The police suspect that the couple quietly withdrew the application by forging the victim's signature before the visa was approved.
They also repeatedly refused to give the victim a detailed list of the amounts owed.
(Image source: News Corp Australia)
When the victim complained about his salary and working conditions, Zhang Yuteng refused to return his passport.
Kevin Loermans, the head of the Human Trafficking Unit of the Federal Police, said that "debt bondage" occurs when an employer forces an employee to accept unreasonable working conditions, withholds wages, or uses coercion or intimidation to deprive an employee of the freedom to leave his or her job.
"Criminals often take advantage of vulnerable groups to profit from them, and these victims are often afraid to report for fear of reprisals and loss of financial resources."
(Image source: News Corp Australia)
Loermans said that when investigating human trafficking cases, the police are most concerned about the safety, health and welfare of victims and potential victims.
"In Australia, all workers enjoy minimum wage protection and basic rights, and it is illegal to withhold other people's passports, and we call on everyone to be vigilant and report signs similar to the enslavement of others in a timely manner."
These charges carry a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison. The case will be heard in Perth Magistrates' Court on June 28.