Job scams are not a new issue, and over the years, more and more people from around Asia have fallen into the trap. The matter only caught our attention when Chua Min Yong, a girl who went missing and was reportedly seen in Cambodia, was forced to work for the syndicate.
The rescue work, however, has never stopped. According to a video report by Oriental Daily, 7 more Malaysian job scam victims were recently rescued and brought back home.
The Malaysian International Humanitarian Organization (MHO) successfully rescued them from Laos, allowing them to return home before CNY, which is only 2 weeks away. They arrived safely in Malaysia on January 25, wearing sunglasses and face masks to conceal their identities. The 7 people included 6 men and 1 woman.
Azirul Syafiq, the representative of MHO, held a press conference at the airport upon their arrival. On the other hand, the job scam victims refused to speak to the media and immediately left the scene.
“During this period, 6 of them who escaped from the park in Laos were captured by the group manager and brought back to the park. Fortunately, they were rescued again with the help of the local police.”
He pointed out that criminal groups no longer use the tactic of “providing job opportunities” but instead use sex traps online to “trap” victims to head to Bangkok.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) was also applied in this case, where the syndicate will use AI programmes to lure young people online to travel to Phuket and Krabi, Thailand, before forcing them to work.
Netizens, however, were more focused on the attire and the behavior of the victims who made it home. Some netizens felt that the scene looked like more of the return of a bunch of celebrities from vacation if they had not read the headline.
“They use fancy phones, and dress elegantly, the luggage doesn’t look cheap to me. It looks like they have earned enough before coming back home, and God knows how many victims have they scammed. I don’t pity them.”
“If I didn’t read the headline, I would’ve thought they were a bunch of K-pop celebrities. I’m not surprised if they were among the top performers with top sales there,” commented another user.
Regardless, we do hope the job scam victims who recently returned home (and those who has the luxury of reuniting with their families) will be able to start afresh here.
Also read: Job Scam Victims Reveal That M’sians in Their 20s are Responsible for Death of Other M’sian Victims
