KOTA KINABALU – A 28-year-old man from Luyang near here, who endured what he described as three months of sheer torture after falling victim to a job scam in Cambodia, has finally returned home today.
The victim who only wants to be identified as Eric B. claimed he had been passed on to three different companies and employers during his time of distress.
He said he was also beaten twice by his captors while being held inside a secluded building located in Preah Sihanouk, some 220km from Cambodia’s capital city of Phnom Penh.
“I had my passport taken and was beaten twice on the head and leg when I refused to cooperate.
“I also witnessed other victims being hit with shock taser sticks while I was there,” said the father of two children aged six and four.
Eric, who spoke mainly in Chinese, was met by reporters alerted by Sabah DAP at Kota Kinabalu International Airport (KKIA) here today.
Also present was DAP’s Luyang assemblyman Phoong Jin Zhe who had helped him out of his distress.
Eric arrived on Malaysian soil on September 24 at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) but only returned home to Sabah today.
He decided to take a commercial flight home by himself despite Wisma Putra offering to arrange his return to Kota Kinabalu.
Eric refused to disclose the reason for this, but believes he has developed a trust issue from the ordeal.
Took on job despite warnings from family
The divorcee said he took the job offer out of interest. But he has now learnt the hard way that there is no easy way to make quick money.
Recounting how he got entrapped in the scam, he said that he was working as a salesman for a stationery company in Miri before leaving for Cambodia.
He had learned about the job there from a man from Sibu who had befriended him six months before. He allowed the man to influence him even though he was aware that the man had a criminal record.
He was actually told that he would be driven to Thailand, where he would work, upon arriving in Cambodia.
He then confided with family members over his plans. Despite opposition from them, especially his auntie, he took up the job anyway.
His auntie would later be the one who lodged an official police report on his disappearance.
According to Eric, he had left for Cambodia on June 18 via KLIA. He had signed up for work in Thailand.
Eric said the change of country did not arouse any suspicion that it was a job scam at first.
Prompt action by Wisma Putra
Upon arrival, he and another Malaysian were brought to Preah Sihanouk, a five-hour journey from the airport.
The syndicate also opened up three accounts under his name in Thailand with the promise that US$15,000 (RM65,000) would deposited into these accounts, he said
However, he did not receive any money in the accounts.
He was then forced to work at a stock exchange call-centre. When he refused, he was ordered to stay in a room for two to three weeks.
Eric said he was then sold to another company with an employer who was a Chinese national and whose business was a phone scam operation.
“I was given a phone as part of the job. I was also promised a salary of US$1,500 (RM6,500) a month. but did not receive a single sen,” he said.
On August 9, Eric secretly used the phone to make contact with Phoong on August 9 after obtaining his call number from Facebook.
Phoong later reached out to his family and told them to lodge a police report. He subsequently reached out to the authorities and Wisma Putra until Eric’s safe return to Malaysia.
Phoong praised the officials from Wisma Putra for their prompt action and reaching out to the Malaysian consular office in Cambodia, which later reported to the Cambodia police.
Culprits escaped before raid
Eric explained he was already passed on to a third company when the Cambodian police conducted an inspection at the building where he was held while working there on September 9.
“Those behind the syndicate already fled when the authorities arrived,” he said.
“Passports had been laid out on a table. I immediately recognised my passport by its different colour, which was a lighter coloured red, indicating that it was a Malaysian passport,” said Eric, describing the end of his ordeal.
He said he wants to tell his story so that no one would fall victim to job scams in the future.
“I was tortured during my time there. I felt like it was the worst situation I could be in,” he said.
The Foreign Ministry has said that 148 Malaysians have returned to the country after becoming job scam victims in Cambodia.
These are among the 158 cases that have been reported.
The ministry said efforts have been intensified to rescue more Malaysians duped by syndicates in Thailand, Laos and Myanmar. – The Vibes, September 27, 2022
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