KUALA LUMPUR: One of the 25 Malaysians rescued from a job scam syndicate in Myanmar on March 12, was arrested after police investigations revealed that he played a role in recruiting locals with the intention of scamming for big bucks.
Deputy director (Intelligence/Operations) of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) at Bukit Aman, Datuk Fadil Marsus, said that the 20-year-old man was detained after police conducted a screening and interrogation on all the victims who were brought back by bus from Tak Province, Thailand, on that date.
“We keep on rescuing them all this while… but not all of them are victims. Out of the 25, only six individuals are genuine victims.
“These victims will be given an interim protection order and during the investigation period, we will ensure their protection. Meanwhile, the others are not genuine victims. So, it is likely that they are recruiters, facilitators or (scam) workers who have been to the location before asking to be rescued,” he said in a press conference at Bukit Aman here today.
He said the man would be remanded for seven days until March 20 for further investigation, and police had opened five investigation papers under Section 12 of the Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants Act 2007 (ATIPSOM) (Act 670) involving contingents from Kuala Lumpur and Johor.
The other rescued Malaysians are still under investigation and genuine victims have been granted an interim protection order for 21 days.
On March 12, a total of 25 Malaysians who were victims of a job scam syndicate were repatriated via Mae Sot, Tak Province, northern Thailand, after being handed over by Myanmar authorities to the Malaysian Embassy through Thai authorities.
Meanwhile, 489 police reports have been received from Jan 1, 2021, to March 13, involving 637 individuals comprising 517 men and 120 women, aged between 22 to 39, being victims of overseas job scams, including in Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos.
He stated that out of the total, 504 individuals were rescued, while 133 remain stranded abroad.
“Investigations found that 83 per cent (pct) of the victims had an educational background up to the Malaysian Certificate of Education level and the primary medium through which job offers were received was social media platforms such as Facebook, Telegram, and WeChat, followed by invitations from friends or family.”
“A study by the Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM) also found that not all individuals rescued from human trafficking syndicates meet the definition of victims under the ATIPSOM Act,” he said.
Instead, he revealed that over 70 pct of them were aware of the types of jobs offered before arriving at their destination, including jobs related to crime such as scamming and gambling, indicating that they were not entirely deceived but feigned innocence after rescue.
Fadil stated that from 2022 until now, the ATIPSOM division D3 successfully dismantled six syndicates recruiting Malaysians for such jobs.
He also advised the public to always be cautious of overseas job offers through social media, which often promise lucrative salaries and benefits to lure prospective victims.
