PHNOM PENH, Oct 13 — Over a month after escaping from their handlers, seven Malaysians who fell victim to human traffickers are languishing in a Cambodian Immigration centre.
The seven — five of whom are from Sarawak — who went to Cambodia to work at casinos but were duped into cybercrime activities, are being held at the Sihanoukville Immigration Centre and are anxious to return to Malaysia.
The group, including five women, ended up working as scammers for online syndicates in the coastal city.
“We escaped from our employers 41 days ago. We managed to get a handphone to contact the local police and were rescued by the Immigration Department in Sihanoukville,” said one of the victims.
The victim, in her 20s, spoke to Bernama today from her detention centre, when she was given a mobile phone to order lunch for her fellow Malaysians.
She said two of her friends are being moved to a separate holding facility but could not provide further details.
“In a day, the officers give us a phone twice, to order lunch and dinner. They are friendly but communication is a problem. We have contacted the embassy (in Phnom Penh),” she said.
Agents in Malaysia offered lucrative job opportunities to lure these victims to work in Cambodian casinos, promising them salaries in US dollars, free food, lodging and all-inclusive trips.
However, they ended up working in scam call centres in Sihanoukville when they arrived in May.
The bustling seaside province has become a notorious hub for online scam rings operated by transnational groups despite actions by law enforcers.
“They offered us a RM4,000 salary a month plus food, lodging and flights, and we were promised jobs at the casinos, but when we arrived, we ended up working as scammers.
“We could not contact our agents because they deleted their Telegram accounts and now, we are stuck here. They (authorities) told us we had broken Cambodian laws but we did not commit any crime; we were cheated and brought to Cambodia,” she said.
Sarawak United People’s Party public complaints bureau chief Milton Foo told Bernama this morning that he contacted the Malaysian embassy in Phnom Penh, and paperwork is pending approval from Cambodian authorities for the job scam victims’ return home.
“We have sent an appeal to the embassy and they are working for their release. A few in the group are Muslims and it is difficult to get (halal) food,” said Foo.
Human traffickers use Cambodia as a hub for a variety of cybercrime activities, ranging from online scamming to illegitimate money lending and internet gaming.
The number of young Malaysians falling victim to fraudulent job offers has been rising post-Covid, and the Malaysian embassy has assisted in repatriating dozens of them.
However, the arrival of such victims in Cambodia, lured by the promise of lucrative jobs, continues unabated.
— Bernama
