Mohamad said the information was derived from a human trafficking report which the police presented at a Council for Anti-Trafficking In Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants meeting on Feb 26, Bernama reported.
He said many of the purported victims were working voluntarily, with some of them even holding top positions within their companies.
“When they reach their destination, they work as scammers, conducting various online fraud operations, including love scams, Macau scams or running online casinos,” he said during a special chamber session in the Dewan Rakyat today.
“So, it’s not generally a job scam. They are criminals involved in fraud syndicates. When they face issues such as abuse by their employers or are not allowed to return home, they then come forward and claim to have been deceived.
“But they are part of these job scam operations. This is based on the report we received from the police.”
He said these syndicates recruit Malaysians through social media advertisements on platforms such as Facebook, WeChat and WhatsApp, where they offer attractive incentives like large salaries, free flights, accommodation and the freedom to gamble on credit.
Mohamad also said local media reports claiming that about 2,000 Malaysians are still trapped abroad as human trafficking victims are inconsistent with the number of reports received by the foreign ministry.
He said the ministry has worked with the police and foreign authorities to rescue 659 Malaysians involved in job offer scam syndicates abroad as of June 10.
He said another 187 people are being traced, bringing the total number of those tricked by job offer scam syndicates abroad to 846.
He was responding to a supplementary question from Khoo Poay Tiong (PH-Kota Melaka) about the government’s efforts to address the issue of Malaysian human trafficking victims.
Khoo had suggested monitoring Malaysians who receive job offers abroad, increasing awareness campaigns about human trafficking and enhancing regional cooperation to combat the problem.
Mohamad highlighted the need for Asean member nations to enhance cooperation in combating human trafficking, emphasising the importance of exploring intelligence sharing and implementing measures to eliminate syndicates involved in job offer scams.
Stay current - Follow FMT on WhatsApp, Google news and Telegram