One of 25 Malaysians rescued from job scam in Myanmar was recruiter, say cops

 

On March 12, 25 Malaysians who were victims of a job scam syndicate were repatriated via Mae Sot, Tak province, northern Thailand, after being handed over by Myanmar authorities. (Bernama pic)

PETALING JAYA: 

Police have detained one of the 25 Malaysians rescued from a job scam syndicate in Myanmar on March 12 on suspicion that he had played a key role in recruiting locals to profit from scamming.

The suspected recruiter would be remanded for seven days until March 20 for further investigation.

Bukit Aman deputy director (intelligence/operations) of the criminal investigation department Fadil Marsus said the 20-year-old was detained after police had interrogated all the victims who were brought back by bus from Tak province, Thailand, Bernama reported.

Fadil Marsus.

He said out of the 25 rescued, only six individuals were believed to be genuine victims.

The genuine victims have been granted an interim protection order for 21 days, he said at a press conference at Bukit Aman.

Police have opened five investigation papers under Section 12 of the Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants Act 2007 (Atipsom) (Act 670), involving police contingents from Kuala Lumpur and Johor.

On March 12, 25 Malaysians who were victims of a job scam syndicate were repatriated via Mae Sot, Tak province, northern Thailand, after being handed over by Myanmar authorities to the Malaysian embassy through Thai authorities.

Meanwhile, 489 police reports have been received from Jan 1, 2021 till March 13 this year, involving 637 people comprising 517 men and 120 women, being victims of overseas job scams, including in Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos. They were aged between 22 and 39.

Fadil said out of the total, 504 were rescued, while 133 remain stranded abroad.

“Investigations found that 83% of the victims had an educational background of only up to the SPM level. They received the job offers through Facebook, Telegram and WeChat, followed by invitations from friends or family.

“A study by police found that not all individuals rescued from human trafficking syndicates meet the definition of victims under the Atipsom Act,” he said.

Instead, he said 70% of them were aware of the types of jobs offered before arriving at their destination, including that the jobs were related to criminal activities, such as scamming and gambling, indicating that they were not entirely deceived but feigned innocence after rescue.

Fadil stated that from 2022 until now, the Atipsom division D3 had successfully dismantled six syndicates recruiting Malaysians for such jobs.

He advised the public to always be cautious of overseas job offers made through social media as they often promise lucrative salaries and benefits to lure prospective victims.

The victims had complained their freedom was curtailed and they were made to work for long hours without being paid properly. - FMT