KUALA LUMPUR, March 17 — One of the 25 Malaysians rescued from a job scam syndicate in Myanmar on Wednesday (March 12) was arrested after police investigations revealed that he played a role in recruiting locals with the intention of scamming for big bucks.
Bukit Aman's Criminal Investigation Department deputy director (intelligence/operations) Datuk Fadil Marsus said the 20-year-old man was detained after they conducted a screening and interrogation on all the victims who were brought back by bus from Tak Province, Thailand, on that date.
“We keep on rescuing them all this while… but not all of them are victims. Out of the 25, only six individuals are genuine victims.
“These victims will be given an interim protection order, and during the investigation period, we will ensure their protection. Meanwhile, the others are not genuine victims.
"So, it is likely that they are recruiters, facilitators or (scam) workers who have been to the location before asking to be rescued,” he said during a press conference at Bukit Aman today.
Fadil said the man will be remanded for seven days until Thursday (March 20) for further investigation. The police have opened five investigation papers under Section 12 of the Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants Act 2007 (ATIPSOM) involving contingents from Kuala Lumpur and Johor.
The other rescued Malaysians are still under investigation, and genuine victims have been granted an interim protection order for 21 days.
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 January 1, 2021, to March 13, involving 637 individuals comprising 517 men and 120 women, aged between 22 to 39, being victims of overseas job scams, including in Myanmar, Cambodia, and Laos.
He said that out of the total, 504 individuals were rescued, while 133 remain stranded abroad.
“Investigations found that 83 per cent of the victims had an educational background up to the Malaysian Certificate of Education level, and the primary medium through which job offers were received was social media platforms including Facebook, Telegram, and WeChat, followed by invitations from friends or family.”
“A study by the Royal Malaysia Police also found that not all individuals rescued from human trafficking syndicates meet the definition of victims under ATIPSOM,” Fadil said.
Instead, over 70 pct of them were aware of the types of jobs offered before arriving at their destination, including jobs related to crime like scamming and gambling, indicating that they were not entirely deceived but feigned innocence after rescue.
He added that from 2022 until now, the ATIPSOM division D3 successfully dismantled six syndicates recruiting Malaysians for such jobs.
Fadil also advised the public to always be cautious of overseas job offers through social media, which often promise lucrative salaries and benefits to lure prospective victims.
— Bernama
