SIBU: A man and a woman, both in their 20s, have finally made their way home after falling victims to an employment fraud syndicate in Cambodia.
The duo was able to return home with the help of Dudong assemblyman Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing last Friday (June 3).
According to Tiong, the victims were enticed by a job offering lucrative income through Facebook last March.
“They were deceived by the offer and left for Cambodia but on arriving there, their passports and smartphones were confiscated by the ’employer’ and they were only allowed to use them once a week,” he explained.
Tiong, who is also Bintulu MP, explained that the victims were treated as prisoners and only provided a dormitory for shelter.
Their job scope, he said, was to become ‘scammers’ by committing fraud and extorting money from the public.
“If they do not achieve the set Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), penalties will be imposed.
“A few months later, the victims’ family asked for help to rescue them. Upon learning of the matter, my service centre staff immediately extended assistance to rescue the victims,” he said, expressing relief and gratitude towards those who made it possible for the duo’s return.
“Thus, I call on the people to refrain from believing in lucrative job offers.
“I understand the burden of inflation and economic pressures that are forcing many people to seek better opportunities to make ends meet.
“However, even if we want to pursue a better life or source of income, we also need to be vigilant about job vacancy advertisements, particularly those which are offered on social media sites,” he said.
Tiong noted that most high-income job offers advertised on the internet could not be trusted and often fraud syndicates are behind these.
He also thanked the Malaysian Ambassador to Cambodia, the Cambodian Embassy in Malaysia, Interpol, Bukit Aman police headquarters and all parties involved for working together to bring back the two victims.
“As the Special Envoy of the Prime Minister to China, I am also grateful for the assistance given by my colleagues and the staff of the Special Ambassador’s Office in resolving the issue,” he said.
