Malaysian lured with ‘satay job’ to Cambodia, trapped in scam call centre

After arriving in Cambodia, the victim, known only as Jo, said he was forced to scam Malaysians or risk being beaten or tased.

“I was approached by my friend, who drives a luxury car, in March. We were close as I used to serve satay at his father’s restaurant.

“I was promised a job selling satay in Cambodia with a monthly salary of US$1,500, and I believed him,” he said during a press conference organised by Skudai assemblywoman Marina Ibrahim on Oct 27.

Jo said he left for Phnom Penh in the first week of Hari Raya Aidilfitri in April after being given RM2,000 (US$420) in pocket money and paid flight tickets.

“I was treated to a three-day hotel stay and then taken to entertainment lounges where we were served drinks.

“I started feeling dizzy and lost awareness of my surroundings. When I came to, I was already in a building that looked like a prison, which I later found out was (in) Sihanoukville,” he said, adding that he was among five Malaysians taken there to become call centre operators for a scam syndicate.

He added that they were made to impersonate government officers and follow scripts to scam victims in Malaysia.

“We were watched around the clock by supervisors and CCTV cameras, and punished with electric tasers if we disobeyed orders or failed to meet our targets.

“We worked from 10am to 2am daily. If we were late by even one minute or took a short water break, we would be tasered and have our pay cut.

“We were given only one meal a day and one bottle of boiled water,” he said, adding that men and women were housed together and given pork and alcohol despite religious restrictions.

Jo said the turning point came when he was told that he would be sold to the borders of Laos or Vietnam as a beggar or forced labourer.

In a turn of events, he eventually managed to reach out to Ms Marina for help through Facebook after a syndicate member allowed them temporary access to mobile phones.

“It was a race against time – either the police rescued us first, or we would be sold across the border, which I doubt I would make it out alive,” he said, adding that he was safely repatriated to Kuala Lumpur in mid-August with the help of Wisma Putra, which is Malaysia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Embassy of Malaysia in Phnom Penh.

He urged young people not to accept job offers that sound too good to be true, unless there is strong proof and proper documentation to back up the offer.

“I am grateful to be back, but I live in fear that someone might come after me. I just want to start an honest life again,” said Jo.

The Star

Asia News Network