Andy Greenberg recounts how an anonymous source, codenamed Red Bull, contacted him from inside a Southeast Asian scam compound after being lured by a fake IT job, stripped of his passport, and forced into 'pig butchering' cryptocurrency scams under coercion and abuse. Rather than fleeing immediately, Red Bull chose to document conditions — food deprivation, surveillance, debt bondage — while seeking journalistic support. Ethical boundaries limited what Greenberg could provide, but he connected Red Bull with anti-scam experts. After a failed escape attempt involving forged documents and a brutal beating, Red Bull was held for ransom before securing his release — escaping barefoot across five countries. His story reveals how perpetrators are often victims themselves: trafficked, traumatized, and morally conflicted. The episode underscores systemic failures in U.S. anti-trafficking responses, corruption enabling these operations, and the urgent need for victim-centered policy. Even after freedom, Red Bull — revealed to be Muhammad Muzahir — continued cooperating without compensation, sharing evidence and granting permission to use his real name, embodying rare courage amid ongoing danger.