- Illustrative photo.
PHNOM PENH: (Bernama) Welder Iskandar Dzulqarnian had a big dream of travelling to the "land of promise” to earn a large income but eventually, his hopes were dashed when he fell victim to a sophisticated cyber scam syndicate in Cambodia.
The 24-year-old Malaysian from Kuala Lumpur was instead lured to work in Siem Reap in Cambodia, a popular tourist destination.
He is one of the thousands of foreign youths who boldly travel to seek greener pastures in the region but end up in online scam hubs in places like coastal Sihanoukville Province and Poipet.
"He (the recruiter) told me they would offer me a job as a casino staff in Singapore so I agreed and we communicated via Facebook and WhatsApp, I did not see the man in person.
"I only discovered at the last minute that my destination was to Siem Reap and I went ahead because I always wanted to go abroad to work.
"They offered me a monthly salary of US$3,000 (about RM14,000), all paid for flight ticket plus lodging and food,” Iskandar told Bernama, a day after reaching his home in Kuala Lumpur.
His narrative is a bit sketchy, but it is the same reasons revealed by victims who have escaped from the clutches of ruthless job recruiters who work for well-established online scam syndicates.
The modus operandi of syndicates who hire young foreigners to work in scam centres in the region - like Cambodia, Laos or Myanmar - remains the same.
Regional governments are striving to end the social scourge to save youths from falling victim to human traffickers and border security is being tightened to prevent helpless victims from being moved from one destination to another.
Embassies are also put on high alert to assist innocent victims.
When Iskandar arrived in Siem Reap last October he was assigned to monitor a large gambling machine.
"This was my initial job and later I was sold to another agent and told to scam people. I have to telephone strangers to inform them that they have a parcel that contains illegal products (and threaten them for money).
"I just couldn’t do this kind of work, and my boss told me he wanted to send me back to Malaysia but demanded US$2,000 (about RM9,000). They have not paid any salary since I arrived.
"I called my mother for the cash but she did not have that amount of money and she contacted MHO (Malaysian Humanitarian Organisation) for help,” he said.
With the help of the Malaysian Embassy in Phnom Penh, Iskandar returned home on February 27.
"I went through scary days because my boss threatened to physically abuse me and electrocute me if I didn’t pay the money. I am happy to be back and I want to continue my studies and work in Malaysia,” said Iskandar, a former vocational student and youngest of eight siblings.
He also claimed the MHO had asked to pay RM1,700 as expenses to bring him back to Kuala Lumpur and his family had made the payment.
The Malaysian Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed on Wednesday that 60 Malaysians, suspected victims of a job scam syndicate, were rescued by Cambodian authorities on February 22 in Poipet town, which borders Thailand.
They were later moved to Siem Reap for processing their documents, and with the help of the embassy, most of the victims have returned to Malaysia.
The ministry urged Malaysians to verify job offers through official channels and contact Malaysian diplomatic missions if they are in trouble. - Bernama
