459 M'sians scammed in overseas jobs since 2021

Source: The Star

KUCHING: A total of 459 Malaysians have fallen victim to job scams overseas since 2021, says Federal CID deputy director Dep Comm Datuk Rusdi Mohd Isa.

He said police received 354 reports on job scams from 2021 to Feb 23 this year, including 54 reports in Sarawak.

"Of the victims, 326 have been rescued and returned to Malaysia while 133 are still stranded overseas," he told reporters after the closing ceremony of an enforcement course on the Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Smuggling of Migrants Act.

The course, which was attended by 48 senior police officers from Sabah and Sarawak, was officially closed by Sarawak police commissioner Comm Datuk Mancha Ata.

DCP Rusdi said Sarawak recorded 83 job scam victims in the same period, of whom 64 have been rescued.

He said the victims were mostly lured by job advertisements on social media offering overseas jobs in casinos or resorts.

"Upon arriving in the destination country, they end up being forced to work as scammers or other jobs," he said.

Cambodia, Myanmar, Thailand, and Laos are among the main countries involved