Police: Some Malaysians rescued from Cambodian scam syndicates returned there due to lucrative earnings
SEPANG, Jan 27 — Some Malaysians who had lucrative jobs in Cambodia's scam syndicates have made their way back there even after being rescued, Bukit Aman Criminal Investigation Department director Datuk Seri Abd Jalil Hassan said today.
He also said that some individuals did not want to be saved because they were earning good money as scam syndicates after hitting their “sales” targets set by their employers.
“The victims know that they will work as scammers in Cambodia, but because they did not achieve their key performance indicators (KPI), they get the authorities involved.
“But some have reached their KPIs and don't want to come home even though we want to rescue them. They are living in luxury because of their jobs.
“Even if we return them back home, they make a U-turn and go back to Cambodia,” Abd Jalil told reporters during a press conference held at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) this afternoon.
He added that the Cambodian authorities did not have enough evidence to arrest them as scammers at the time.
When asked by reporters if there are any penalties for those who make a return back to Cambodia to work as scam syndicates, Abd Jalil said that there is nothing authorities can do except fulfil their responsibility to keep Malaysians safe.
“If a Malaysian comes to us for help, we have the responsibility to help them. It's hard to determine whether they are victims of job scamming or a scammer themselves, the line is too fine.
“If we don't help them, how would the public perceive us? Even if we help them to the best of our abilities, the public's perception might not change,” he said.
Abd Jalil also confirmed that any videos of abuse that are being circulated online did not involve Malaysian victims, but were only served to strong-arm them into submission.
The police today stated that as of January 26 this year, there are as many as 262 police reports involving 330 victims being stranded abroad due to work fraud crimes.
Out of the total number of victims, a total of 116 victims have been successfully rescued, with 29 victims still stranded in Cambodia.
Six of these victims are currently being detained by Cambodian immigration for violating immigration laws.
Today, five Malaysians were brought back following a police delegation to Cambodia to look into the alleged job scams there.
