In recent times, there has been a rise in job scams involving Malaysians who have travelled to other parts of the world in hopes of securing a job with a decent salary.
Recently, a pair of Malaysian siblings was reported to have ended up homeless after they moved to London for a job opportunity.
The Kelantanese siblings said that they were promised a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to change their family’s fortunes and help pay back the money borrowed from their mother.
Falling into the trap
It all started when they saw a video and photos posted by a man they have been following on TikTok, whom they went on to contact.
“We contacted a man claiming to be an employment agent in London, and he agreed to meet us in Kuantan, Pahang, to discuss the procedure of moving there.”
The man promised them jobs, work visas, accommodation, pocket money, and two-way plane tickets. However, he demanded a total payment of RM10,000 to cover all the costs.
“When we were making a video call (with the agent), we tried to explain our situation here and our efforts to get a job,” said one of the siblings.
The purported agent, who is in his 30s, showed pictures of people he claimed to have successfully sent to London to work as general workers.
One of the siblings added that after consulting with their family members, he and his brother sought the assistance of their 54-year-old mother, a food stall operator in Kuantan, to finance the trip’s overall cost by using her savings.
The ‘agent’ also said his representative would greet them upon their arrival in London.
Deal gone wrong
However, once they had arrived, all the promises the agent made to them fell through and the siblings were left stranded and homeless with only RM3 in their pockets.
Enduring 4 painful days on the streets of London, the siblings said they had to live on the pavement outside a building, eat food donated by a church, sleep in the cold weather, collect leftover food left behind by strangers, and beg for money from passersby to survive.
On the third day, they met someone who suggested they go to Bayswater, a district of the City of Westminster in West London, since there was a large Malaysian community there.
Fortunately, that was where they met their saviour.
“We walked almost 2 hours on the fourth day to Bayswater, and there we met Mich, a Malaysian who became our rescuer.”
Mich provided them with temporary housing, food, and contacted their families to inform them of what had happened to the siblings.
Upon inspecting the siblings’ flight tickets back to Malaysia that were provided by the ‘agent’, Mich found out that they were fake.
One of the siblings told Mich that they had thought of committing suicide because he was too depressed with their living conditions.
Mich is currently trying to help the siblings find a job with the help of an employer.
“Throughout my time being a restaurant chef here, I have never heard of an employment agent who can help people find a job here. I hope Malaysians will not be misled by the sweet promises of certain individuals or syndicates.”
We hope that the boys are safe and well and that the experience hasn’t traumatised them too much.
Also read: Job Scam Victims Reveal That M’sians in Their 20s are Responsible for Death of Other M’sian Victims
