According to Federal CID deputy director Deputy Comm Datuk Rusdi Mohd Isa, since 2021, a total of 326 Malaysian job scam victims who were stranded overseas have been rescued by the police. This number comes from 354 reports received from 2021 to Feb 23 this year, involving a total of 459 victims. Out of these, 133 victims are still stuck overseas.
DCP Rusdi revealed this information during a press conference held after the closing ceremony of an enforcement course on the Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Smuggling of Migrants Act 2007 in Kuching on March 1. The event was attended by 48 senior police officers from Sabah and Sarawak, and was closed by Sarawak police commissioner Comm Datuk Mancha Ata.
Specifically in Sarawak, police received 54 reports related to job scams, with 83 victims involved in the same period. Out of these, 64 victims have been successfully rescued and brought back to Sarawak, while 19 are still stranded overseas.
The victims mostly fell prey to fake job advertisements on social media offering positions in casinos or resorts abroad. However, upon arrival in the country, they were coerced into working in illegal activities such as scams, as mentioned by DCP Rusdi during the press conference.
DCP Rusdi highlighted that the majority of these job scam cases were in countries like Cambodia, Myanmar, Thailand, and Laos, with some instances occurring in the United Arab Emirates and the Philippines. A study revealed that 73% of the victims were involved in scam-related activities, while 12% worked in customer service, 8% in casinos, and 7% in other positions like cooks.
To combat these job scams, the police are working tirelessly by focusing on investigating recruiters for syndicates in Malaysia. Additionally, they are collaborating with relevant agencies to rescue victims. DCP Rusdi emphasized the importance of increasing public awareness as a crucial strategy in fighting against job scams.
With the ongoing efforts to tackle this issue, it is hoped that more victims will be rescued and protected from falling prey to such fraudulent schemes.
