M'sian Survivors Of Overseas Job Scams Share Their Tales Of Torture, Sexual Abuse & Death
Survivors of overseas job scams, who have returned to Malaysia, shared harrowing details of their experiences after being lured by human trafficking syndicates in Cambodia, Myanmar, Thailand, and Laos.
By Sabrina Zainal — 03 Oct 2022, 03:47 PM
Deceived into thinking she landed a high-paying job opportunity in a communications company, a woman, who wants to be known as Elyn, was instead forced to work in a scam syndicate
The victim, who is in her 30s, shared the harrowing details with Malaysia International Humanitarian Organisation (MHO) secretary-general Datuk Hishamuddin Hashim recently, reported Harian Metro.
She said the incident happened four months ago when she was in Cambodia.
Elyn alleged that after being made to work as a scammer, she was eventually forced into prostitution and made to wear provocative clothes because the syndicate was dissatisfied with her performance.
Her demise is just one of hundreds of Malaysians who are being held captive by human trafficking syndicates after being lured by lucrative job offers.
Another survivor shared with Hishamuddin that a friend had invited him to work abroad with an attractive salary offer of USD1,100 (RM4,991)
"His friend claimed they were going to work with a forex investment application, but when he arrived at the Vietnamese border, he was forced to work as a scammer," related Hishamuddin.
He added that the man was tortured and beaten until his nose bled and his eyes became swollen. His injuries were so severe that it was difficult to sleep after he almost lost three of his fingers.
However, the man managed to escape and went to the Malaysian embassy there before being brought back to Malaysia.
In the case of another survivor, when the information technology company he worked for in Dubai closed down, he was given an offer to purportedly work in the same field in Thailand with a better salary.
"However, when he arrived in Chiang Mai, the man was locked up and taken to Laos by the syndicate where he was forced to work as a scammer," he said.
According to him, if he refused, the man would be tortured. If he did not meet expectations, he would also be beaten by members of the syndicate.
On top of being beaten, electrocuted, and having organs harvested to be sold on the black market, some have ended up being killed without their family members even knowing their fate
According to Hishamuddin, many families have come forward and pleaded with his organisation to rescue their children stranded abroad.
A New Straits Times report quoted the MHO secretary-general as saying, "Some of the victims were believed to be sold from one agent to another, from one company to another, or worse, traded between different countries."
"The fraud syndicate also demanded ransom money from the victim's family that ranged from RM50,000 to RM100,000 to release the victims.
"Due to the inhumane treatment received, the victims lodged a police report in Laos."
Unfortunately, they are still stranded in the country because of insufficient and inefficient action from the authorities there.
171 victims of overseas job scams who were repatriated to Malaysia from Cambodia on 30 September.
Image via Free Malaysia TodayBased on the victims' accounts, MHO believes there are at least 700 Malaysians being held captive by scam gangs in Laos.
But Laotian authorities have not shown any sign of cooperation to assist Malaysia.
New Straits Times reported that Hishamuddin, along with Malaysia Community Crime Care president Tan Sri Musa Hassan and Semboyan Malaysia, went to the Laos Embassy in Kuala Lumpur on 26 September to submit a memorandum urging the Laos government to rescue and repatriate stranded Malaysians.
After waiting for over an hour, it is understood that no embassy official received the memorandum, and an email sent by MHO to the embassy on the matter a week prior also did not receive a response.
According to Hishamuddin, unlike the Cambodian authorities, Laos and Myanmar have continued to brush off the crimes committed by these syndicates and called the situation a "diplomatic embarrassment".
"We are actually late when there are recorded deaths and do not know how many are victims of this modern slavery," he added.
In a case that made news earlier this month, 23-year-old Malaysian Goi Zhen Feng was reported to have passed away as a result of the abuse he endured after falling for a work scam syndicate in Myanmar
Goi's parents travelled to Thailand to bring him home in August, only to be met with the devastating news that he had passed away months prior to their arrival.
Read the full story here:
