KUALA LUMPUR: Five syndicates involved in job scams and illegal online gambling have been busted by the police with 25 suspected human trafficking victims rescued.
In a written Parliamentary reply, the Home Ministry said 20 local suspects were also arrested during the five operations in the Klang Valley and Johor.
It said the operations were carried out to tackle online gambling-related scams domestically, through the police. So far, the police have conducted a series of integrated operations from August 2022 to September 2024.
“These efforts aim to eradicate and prevent job scam syndicates, particularly those targeting Malaysians with offers of employment abroad,” it added.
The ministry was replying to a question by Datuk Siti Aminah Aching (BN-Beaufort) on the efforts undertaken by the ministry to address human trafficking syndicates that deceive victims online by offering attractive job opportunities, only to coerce them into working as online gambling fraud “scammers”.
As of Sept 20, the ministry said the police have received 427 reports related to job scam crimes, involving 557 Malaysian victims.
“Of these, 429 victims have been rescued, while 128 remain stranded abroad,” it said.
Among the ongoing efforts by the police to tackle job scam syndicates are engagement sessions with Cambodia, Thailand, Myanmar and Laos to share information and coordinate rescue missions for victims.
