Few things say "wedding" quite like the cake. It’s the centrepiece, the photo moment, the ceremonial slice that marks the start of a celebration of love.

A story that defies imagination - young South Africans lured by influencers with promises of well-paying jobs overseas. But what these young job seekers don't realise is that they are in fact being trafficked to Cambodia to work in heavily guarded scam centre compounds targeting their own countrymen. Disturbingly, it's reported that up to half of Cambodia's GDP is gleaned from these syndicates who operate with impunity.

Once there their passports are taken away and if they resist they face harsh punishment and human rights abuses.

In exclusive interviews two young South Africans relay in graphic detail how they were forced to pose as SARS officials and even the FBI to fleece unsuspecting victims using aliases and scripts.

The Social Security Agency has become fertile ground for scammers to profit from vulnerable people, with some legitimate businesses also cashing in.

Educators on Gauteng’s East Rand describe a state of ‘constant fear’ as killings and attacks linked to school governance and financial oversight escalate.

It's estimated that around 35 million South Africans have bank accounts. This means that almost everyone is at risk of being robbed by banking scams.

What's even more terrifying is that as technology advances so do the scams which are becoming increasingly sophisticated with the help of AI and data harvesting.

We chronicle the evolution of these scams by speaking to victims of recent scams which may have been conducted by international criminal syndicates operating from scam compounds in Cambodia.