KUCHING: A person must think thrice before accepting any high-salary job offer as the consequences of accepting too-good-to-be-true offers can be very cumbersome, if not outright risky.
In the worst case scenario you may be tortured by the syndicate which made the offer and may have to pay ransom if your family wants you back.
Sarawak United People’s Party (SUPP) Public Complaints Bureau chief Milton Foo painted the grim picture at a press conference today (Aug 28).
He disclosed that only four locals who were duped into working in Cambodia, have thus far returned safely to their families.
Seven more locals are still stuck in Cambodia and there has not been much information as to what and how are the victims are doing there.
“One of the victims’ family had to pay over RM100,000, equivalent to about USD 22,000, to the syndicate for the release of their family member. The victim returned safely last month.
“I was told that the price for release varies from one batch to another when they are being sold or transferred by the syndicate.
“For instance, the victim mentioned here was in ‘Batch 5’. When the victims arrived at the location, they would be put in ‘Batch 2’ and if they did not perform well, they may be sold to another syndicate (‘Batch 3’) at a higher price.
“I was also told that ‘Batches 7 and 8’ are at a very dangerous stage,” he told reporters at the newly opened VONN Pastries and Florist Café in Galacity.
Foo pointed out that the syndicate is forcing the victims to work at least 16 hours per day and punishing them if the sales target is not met on scamming people around the world through smart phones.
In the event they attempt to escape, the syndicate would beat them up or even electrocute them.
It is understood that the victims are being held somewhere in Preah Sihanoukville, Cambodia, some 1,260km away from Sarawak.
“I urge the public especially the young ones, to always be vigilant and not to fall into the abyss of the lucrative jobs scam in Cambodia at the expense of exorbitant ransom if not the risk of death.
“Do not believe and fall for these scams. There is no such thing that you can earn much better in Cambodia,” Foo said.
