PUTRAJAYA: A group of non-governmental organisations sent a memorandum to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob to seek the government’s assistance and intervention in the job scam issue abroad with Malaysians as the victims.
The memorandum was given to the prime minister’s political secretary, Khaizulnizam Mohamad Zuldin at the Perdana Putra building here with over 30 family members of the victims also present.
Semboyan Malaysia Consumers Association (PPSM) president Muhamad Yusuf Azmi said it urged the government to tighten the travel conditions for Malaysians aged under 40 seeking jobs in countries at risk of scams such as Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Thailand, with hundreds believed to be still trapped in these countries.
He said most of the Malaysian victims were aged 16 to 40 after being duped via social media by job advertisements offering high salaries.
Khairulnizam also suggested that only registered companies which had received approval from the Malaysian government for the countries involved to hire workers from Malaysia.
Former Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Musa Hassan, who is also president of the Malaysian Community Crime Care (MCCC) organisation, said that hopefully, police could use the Asean Desk at their headquarters in Bukit Aman to communicate with the authorities in the countries involved to obtain information on the job scam syndicates.
"The victims working as job scammers will be tortured and forced to sell their organs or to become prostitutes if they to not meet the targets set," said Musa who hoped for immediate action be taken to avoid more people from becoming victims of the syndicates.
Representative of the Malaysia International Humanitarian Organisation (MHO) Daniel Khoo, who is communicating with the syndicate victims in the countries mentioned, said that he had received over 30 reports in the last two weeks.
Based on the latest information, a number of victims are in a dangerous situation, with their organs to be sold.
Khoo claimed that there was also a case where the victim was offered a high income in Dubai upon arrival there but was injected with a drug until he became unconscious and then kidnapped and taken to Myanmar.
The mother of a 20-year-old victim said that her son was offered a job in China by his friend but after some months, she received information that her son had become the victim of a syndicate in Laos.
"He left in April after stating that he had gotten a job in China but ended up getting trapped in Laos as a victim of a job scam syndicate. He has escaped and is now in hiding as his life is in danger,” she revealed.
The father of another victim said his two sons, aged 35 and 38, were purportedly offered a job in Thailand but are now hiding in Myanmar and hoping for help to return safely to Malaysia. - Bernama
