‘I went undercover with a Cambodian job scam via social media’

 

Computers at which those recruited by the syndicate would work as “customer service” representatives. The crime syndicate supplied the photo to an undercover China Press reporter posing as a job-seeker.

PETALING JAYA: A reporter with China Press has gone undercover to find out how easily unsuspecting Malaysians might be lured into working overseas, with the promise of earning US dollars.

Cambodian police recently rescued 16 young Malaysians who said they were held captive by an online syndicate after being recruited to be “customer service workers”.

The reporter, posing as a Chinese youth with little work experience and seeking to pay off some debts, found the syndicate’s details in a Facebook posting and contacted them through Whatsapp messages.

After he was added to a Whatsapp chat group, a Malaysian “overseer” started communicating with the reporter and told him that he would be working as a “customer service worker” for an online gambling platform.

Photographs were supplied by the syndicate, showing a computer room where those recruited would work, the dormitory where they would sleep, and the building where they would be located.

The syndicate said those who signed up would be housed in a dormitory like this.

He was told that they would be in charge of European and American markets, and would receive a basic pay of RM8,000 every month as well as a 10% to 25% commission for each successful transaction.

The reporter was told he would be flown out to Cambodia within a week, with the “company” taking care of his tickets, visa, and other expenses, including food and accommodation.

He was told that he would stay with a fellow local over there, hinting that there were many other Malaysians working there.

The “overseer” then asked the reporter if he knew anyone else who was searching for employment, to which he pretended to have a girlfriend who could be interested in working there too.

The Cambodian syndicate made recruitment offers through social media postings.

“There are many benefits when couples work together,” he was told. “They can earn and save money together for a few years, then go back to their home country to get married and buy a house. Do ask your girlfriend if she wants to come. We can help arrange your flight tickets and housing.”

The man then told the reporter to focus on his work while in Cambodia, advising him not to gamble at the gambling parlours.

When asked if the job required a good command of English, the “overseer” said it was enough to speak Mandarin as most of his customers would mostly be Chinese, although he was in charge of European and American gambling websites.

“Your age, language or education isn’t important. As long as you can ‘type’, that is enough,” he said.

A basketball court at the building where the workers’ hostel was supposedly located.

The reporter was requested to undergo a “video interview” to prove his identity before being flown to Cambodia, and to provide a copy of his passport.

However, he pretended that his passport had expired during the lockdown, and later ended the connection with the syndicate.

The China Press report said other members in the chat group were suspected of being syndicate members posing as jobseekers with an interest in the job and willing to go to Cambodia. This was believed to be aimed at encouraging would-be “workers” to quickly accept their job offer. - FMT