There’s no denying that recently, there has been a spike in job scams which lead to people being trapped in other countries. Some have returned with horror stories about their time there, like this Malaysian woman and Taiwanese influencer. Unfortunately, many more are still stuck.
This 19-year-old boy from Pahang had been trapped in Myanmar for eight months after falling prey to another job scam. Luckily, he managed to contact his mother for help. Today (15th November), he made his way home to hugs and tears from his mother upon arriving at the airport.
Earlier in April, the young man from Kuantan had apparently seen a job advertisement. It caught his eye, mainly because the salary was so high. He decided to take the job as he assumed the job was in Kelantan. However, to his horror, he was taken to Thailand before he was transferred to Myanmar. He wasn’t alone as there was another local youth with him. Unfortunately, the other has yet to be rescued.
A press conference was held today by Penang Front Party (PFT) Chairman Ong Seong Lu (王松富) to shed more light the issue. The young man shared during the press conference that he had been awake and aware when he was brought to Thailand. However, he had been too terrified to do anything. “After many twists and turns, I was sent to KK Park (a notorious casino in Myanmar),” he stated. “I was forced to do cyber fraud work. I was also slapped for making mistakes or failing to meet (their) standards.”
His mother, a 57-year-old tailor, explained she had received a call from him shortly after he left. Apparently, her son had asked her to rescue him with RM50,000. However, she thought it had been a scam. It didn’t help that the duo found it hard to contact each other afterwards. “After a few short conversations, he took the opportunity to ask me for help,” she added. “I tried everything, and finally found (him).”
The mother tearfully thanked those present such as the Malaysia International Humanitarian Organisation (MHO) and the PFP Chairman Ong Seong Lu. However, she especially expressed her gratitude to a middle man, Mr. Victor Wong. Mr. Wong had apparently been instrumental in getting her son back. The mother added that Mr. Wong had not asked for anything. Instead, he had helped her rescue her son intact.
We’re certainly grateful that two more Malaysians have been rescued from the job scam. However, we also know that many more are still trapped overseas. We hope and appreciate their continuous hard work in bringing these victims home.
Sources: Facebook, China Press
