Enslaved relative scam

The enslaved relative scam was a series of scams perpetrated by Zurgite Varshan during the 1980s in order to attract Occidental technical experts to the country. The central part of the scam was Occidental individuals who were lost at sea in and around Crona or Vallos or otherwise disappeared under mysterious circumstances in those regions. Varshani intelligence would conduct research on the lost individuals, and if a close relative was considered to have expertise that would be useful - be it mechanical engineering, scientific, or otherwise - they would clandestinely reach out to the expert. Varshan would then tell the expert that their relative was not dead but had, in fact, been taken into slavery in Varshan. Varshan would release their enslaved relative in exchange for a three year term of service during which time the expert would assist in the military and technical modernization of Varshan, living and working in relative comfort during that period. After the term of service was completed, the expert would be told that their relative had been killed trying to escape while in transit to meet. At the height of the scam in 1983, Varshan had more than 200 Occidentals in their employ as a result of the scam.

The continued use of the scam would be its undoing. Several former scamees would begin a dialogue in 1984 that shared their common story. The method was disclosed to major news networks in October 1984, where the scam became widespread. Those still in service in Varshan were largely insulated from the news, allowing them to complete their term of service and return home to discover the deception.