In a statement today, Jalil said the 15 men and one woman ranging from 19 to 43 years old, who were “forced to work as scammers”, are now being held in Phnom Penh and are awaiting a flight to Malaysia in the near future.

“All the victims claimed they were deceived by an advertisement offering jobs as customer service officers in Cambodia with travel costs taken care of,” said Jalil.

“Upon arriving in Cambodia, their travel documents were seized and their movements were tightly controlled. Initial police investigations found that the victims were forced to work as scammers.”

Last month, MCA public services and complaints department chief Michael Chong said more than 50 Malaysian youths were being held against their will in Cambodia and forced to scam people.

Foreign minister Saifuddin Abdullah said the 16 individuals are currently detained at a police station in Phnom Penh for investigations.

He said the Malaysian embassy has deployed its officers to meet the Malaysians. All the 16 victims are reported to be in good health.

Last week, police said they had received six reports involving 26 victims who had been lured by syndicates to work in Thailand, Laos, Myanmar and Cambodia.