Foreign Ministry takes action to tackle job scams

SHAH ALAM - Sinar Harian’s exclusive-series report on the existence of job scams and human trafficking syndicates involving Malaysian citizens abroad especially in Myanmar, last week, received serious attention from the government.

Following the reports, the Foreign Ministry established a special committee to deal with the issue.

Its minister Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir said the special committee will be led by him and Wisma Putra and supported by numerous government agencies such as The Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM), Immigration Department (JIM), Malaysian Armed Forces (MAF) and the Attorney-General's Chambers (AGC).

"Among the special committee's powers are to overcome the issue of job offer scams involving Malaysians abroad by conducting investigation and prosecuting individuals involved in the syndicate.

"However it is limited to Malaysians suspected of masterminding the syndicates. The ministry hopes for cooperation from Myanmar for the masterminds of the syndicates to be brought to justice," Zambry told Sinar Premium in an exclusive interview, yesterday.

Regarding the possible obstacles that Wisma Putra and the special committee would face, he said the ministry through the Embassy of Malaysia in Myanmar had regularly contacted the local authorities to find the best solution.

He said the authorities in Myanmar had given their cooperation, but they had faced a major setback in identifying the Malaysian victims' whereabouts.

"This is because they had illegally entered Myanmar without any valid travel documents that can be referred to.

"Besides that, the current situation in Myanmar that can threaten the authorities' safety around Myawaddy had also made it difficult for them to help Malaysian victims," he said.

Zambry advised Malaysians to stay vigilant when receiving any job offers abroad to avoid falling victim of job scams.

"A background check of the company offering the jobs should be done first including confirming the matter with authorities in the said country," he said.

On Feb 10, Sinar Harian reporter Mukhriz Mat Husin had joined the rescue mission of five Malaysians who fell victim to the job scam in Myawaddy, Myanmar.

The mission revealed the syndicate's modus operandi and what was more shocking was that the syndicate was also involved in human trafficking activities and were targeting Malaysian youths, especially Malay teenagers.

Subsequently, five Malaysian job seekers aged between 19 to 25 who claimed that they were tricked and forced to work in the cyber scam syndicate, were rescued and now waiting in Thailand to be brought home.

It was understood that more than 1,000 Malaysians were held captive at the country and were hoping for the government to save them.

Following the incident, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim insisted that the government will tighten the law to prevent more Malaysians from being deceived by these syndicate tactics.

He said besides the legal aspects that will be looked at by Communications and Digital Minister Fahmi Fadzil, PDRM will also start its operation for the same purpose.

Meanwhile, PDRM had successfully saved a total of 218 stranded locals overseas believed to be victims of job scams.

Bukit Aman Criminal Investigation Department (JSJ) director Datuk Seri Abd Jalil Hassan said the amount was according to the statistics recorded since January last year.