24 job scam victims in Cambodia return home safely

SEPANG: Twenty-four Malaysians who fell victim to job scams in Cambodia were successfully brought back home.

Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Abdullah, who was in Phnom Penh on a working visit, brought back the victims aged between 20 and 30 years with him, and they arrived at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport yesterday.

Saifuddin said another 29 Malaysians were still at the immigration depot in Cambodia because they did not have valid travel documents when they entered the country, but said that all of them are safe.

During his time there, Saifuddin said he managed to visit seven Malaysians who were at the Phnom Penh immigration depot, while another 22 were reported to be in the Sihanoukville region.

“They will be repatriated in stages because some do not have valid travel documents and the cases involve investigations by the Cambodian side,” he told reporters at the airport

He said out of 148 reported cases, 118 Malaysians who fell victim to job scams in Cambodia have been rescued so far.

“Thank you to the Malaysian government, the Cambodian government and Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen who gave specific instructions to conduct an operation to save some Malaysians there,” said Saifuddin.

In advising Malaysians to be wary of lucrative job offers abroad, he said: “If you get any offers, contact our embassy in Phnom Penh so they can help check whether the company is legitimate or not instead of going there without having proper information.”

Saifuddin said there are about 500 Malaysian companies operating in Cambodia and 5,000 Malaysians working and doing business in the country.