Safe and sound: Ho with Vishnu (right) and Gopi when they met for the first time at Larkin Sentral.
JOHOR BARU: K. Vishnu, 23, from Negri Sembilan, and Selangor-born B. Gopi, 22, left their respective hometowns with less than RM200 in their pockets thinking that they would be employed in Singapore.
Their hopes were dashed when they were duped in a job scam and are now working as security guards here.
Vishnu said the two friends came across a job offer on social media and contacted the number listed in the post.
“The person claimed to be an agent and told us that he has been helping locals get jobs across the Causeway. He also said there were jobs in Singapore’s hotel industry waiting for us with a monthly salary of S$1,700 (RM5,870).
“The agent then told us to come down to Johor Baru for an interview, which was just a formality as the jobs were ours.
“He then asked us to pay him RM300 as part of the processing fee but I told him that we will make the payments once we see him in person,” he said when met here yesterday, adding that they left their hometowns at the end of April.
Vishnu said as they were assured of getting the job in Singapore, they decided to board a bus and head down to Johor Baru.
When they arrived at Larkin Sentral, calls to the agent went unanswered
“At one point, I even borrowed a phone from a stranger at the bus terminal and got through to him but he immediately cut off the line once he realised it was me calling,” he said, adding that they had yet to file a police report.
Vishnu, who is an orphan, said they were forced to live along the corridors of the bus terminal for about two days as they had no money and nowhere else to go.
“We only had enough for food. By the third day, we could not even afford food let alone money for bus tickets to go back to our hometowns.
“Luckily, we found an NGO that could help us out,” he said, adding that they learnt from their mistakes and urged others like him to be careful when they come across offers on social media.
Yayasan Kebajikan Suria Johor Baru founder James Ho said they later helped the two friends register at Anjung Singgah, which is a halfway home here for the homeless.
“We help them by finding them jobs as security guards and they have since moved out of the transit home after staying there for 21 days and are now renting rooms in town,” he said.
