Cambodia-based job frauds continue to haunt Visakhapatnam youth

Cambodia-based job frauds continue to haunt Visakhapatnam, with new cases surfacing regularly. Many youths are falling prey to fake job offers and getting trapped in cybercrime networks abroad. Under the guise of data entry and hospitality jobs, victims are being forced into illegal activities after their arrival in foreign countries.

In the latest incident, around 10 people hailing from Visakhapatnam and other regions are reportedly stranded in an undisclosed location in Thailand and being forced into committing cybercrimes.

The issue came to light after the victims secretly sent a video message to their families, pleading for help. The parents of a victim approached Visakhapatnam West MLA P.G.V.R. Naidu (Gana Babu) on July 30, who assured them that the matter would be forwarded to the authorities concerned and the respective embassies.

The identities are not revealed based on the request from the parents, in view of the threat to the lives of victims.

According to the victims, they were recruited through unknown agencies with promises of data entry, receptionist, and hotel jobs in Thailand.

A week after joining, the fraudsters snatched away their passports. In their message, the victims said that they were blindfolded, moved in multiple vehicles, and made to walk long distances to ensure that they were unaware of the location.

After being transported to an unknown site, they were forced into cybercrime operations and beaten mercilessly if they refused to do so. The parents of the victims have urged the authorities to initiate swift action to bring the youths back home.

As per the city police, some recruiting agencies have been targeting unemployed youths, sending them to countries such as Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, and Bangkok.

The victims are forced to work for organised cybercrime syndicates. These gangs create fake social media profiles to dupe people worldwide, running scams involving cryptocurrency investments, instant loans, honey traps, digital arrests, and other financial frauds, the police said.

Police estimates indicate that more than 150 people from Visakhapatnam are still caught in such cybercrime networks abroad, while 87 victims have been rescued in the past year.

Police Commissioner Shankabratha Bagchi has repeatedly urged job seekers to verify the credentials and licences of recruitment agencies before accepting job offers.

To spread awareness, the city police have released posters highlighting the dangers of Cambodia-based job scams, now displayed at all police stations across the city.