8 M'sians Flew To Dubai Hoping To Earn USD1,000 Monthly Only To Be Duped By A Syndicate
The seven victims involved are from Sarawak, meanwhile, another is from Kelantan.
By Nurul Qistina — 19 Dec 2022, 12:08 PM
Eight Malaysians who fell victim to a job scam syndicate in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE), were safely brought home on 16 December
According to Bernama, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said that the Consulate General of Malaysia (KJM) in Dubai took immediate action to help rescue the victims after receiving information regarding the matter.
Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof stated that all of the victims were deceived into working for an online gambling organisation in exchange for a tempting income of USD1,000, or roughly RM4,480 per month, reported The Star.
"They accepted the offer through the Telegram app, which did not specify the nature of work they would do there," he said at a press conference on 17 December.
"They were in Dubai since arriving last month and managed to escape on 30 November and asked for help from patrolmen who happened to run into them."
Datuk Fadillah Yusoff along with the victims in a press conference last Satuday, 17 December.
Image via BernamaSarawak Volunteers, an NGO that connects Sarawakian students, paid for the return flight tickets of seven Sarawakians and one Kelantanese who were victims of the syndicate
The seven Sarawakians involved are Muhammad Adha Awang Azahari, aged 23, Mohamad Azam Abdullah, aged 23, Mohd Izzul Hydad Suhardi, aged 24, Syed Azwan Wan Abdul Karim, aged 20, Muhammad Azzaruddin Shah Azmannuddin, aged 20, Ainul Alif Sait, aged 28, and Ashraf Salehin Hazmi, aged 24.
One of the victims, Syed Azwan, said they boarded separate flights on 24, 25, and 26 August, and started feeling uneasy when their passports and mobile phones were confiscated by members of the syndicate before being locked up in a house.
"While we were there, we were only fed bread and hard-boiled eggs at noon and sometimes plain rice and chicken at night," Syed recalled, adding that they were forced to work from 6am to 1am.
Meanwhile, Fadillah urged all Malaysians to be wary of any job offer that seems too good to be true.
"Firstly, check with the authorities about the validity of a job offer and ask them to investigate. I hope Malaysians are the wiser from this case," he said.
