Two rescued trafficked victims who escaped a razor wire protected compound in Cambodia where they were forced to scam people online. — International Justice Mission
NAIVETY and desperation, apart from a limited grasp on the realities of life, have landed many unwitting victims of scam park syndicates.
Despite unceasing efforts to highlight criminal activities perpetrated by such syndicates, luring victims with promises of lucrative jobs or the thrill of romance is just too easy of a task for these scammers.
“These victims are just so naive. They come from small towns or villages and have little to no knowledge about how scams work.
“They are very easily misled and tend to be excited whenever they are being ‘offered’ jobs with salaries purportedly between RM6,000 and RM7,000,” says a disappointed Datuk Seri Michael Chong, who has vast experience in aiding scam victims.
The MCA Public Services and Complaints Department head says there are cases where the scammers were known to the victims.
“Some of them were friends. This is when the swindlers turn to prey on their friends.
Chong: ‘They come from small towns or villages and have little to no knowledge about how scams work.’
“They would take the trip overseas together only to leave the naive ones high and dry, as they are now forced to work as scammers themselves.”
The widespread crimes organised by scam parks in Southeast Asia, such as in Cambodia and Myanmar, are akin to a pandemic or a “scamdemic”; a moniker given by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) to illustrate the seriousness of the matter.
Scam parks, also known as fraud factories, are defined as a gathering of criminal syndicates specialising in human trafficking.
The victims are thrown into modern slavery to work as online scammers, in an endless expansion of love scams and cryptocurrency fraud.
Failure to achieve a target will see victims threatened to be sent into prostitution or have their organs harvested.
But not all of them are victims in this heinous criminal scheme, as often highlighted in the media; to put it simply, Chong says some want to be part of scam parks as scammers.
“Some of them are not scammed when offered with these so-called jobs. They know what the work entails. They are not afraid of threats that are usually reserved for victims.
Scammed scammers: Duped victims are thrown into modern slavery to work as online scammers at these scam parks , in an endless expansion of love scams and cryptocurrency fraud. — AZHAR MAHFOF/The Star
“They know what they want and need to do, and do not care about the criminal nature of the job.”
Rescuing victims from scam parks is also not an easy feat, Chong says.
On his part, Chong usually contacts Interpol, Aseanapol, the embassies, local enforcement agencies and even the United Nations offices, among others, to ensure the necessary aid in the rescue missions.
“We even enlist the help of some companies in countries where the scam parks are located, to shelter runaway victims until help arrives.
“There are thousands of victims out there. I have helped resolve 58 cases so far.”
When asked, Chong says the government can begin addressing the matter through practical means, especially in terms of tightening the security of Malaysian borders.
“Many of the victims left the country through rat lanes. Tightening border control is essential in keeping our people safe.
“And while they are it, please go after the syndicate agents. Monitor suspicious job offers advertised online.”
Meanwhile, a group of academics is working to look into Malaysians’ awareness of scam park activities, as they seek a solution to prevent more from becoming victims.
The study, to be carried out through a survey, is initiated by Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman’s Tan Cheng Lock Centre for Social and Policy Studies, Universiti Teknologi Mara’s Academy of Contemporary Islamic Studies in Perlis and Centre for Malaysian Chinese Studies (Huayan).
It is also jointly supported by The Star, Sin Chew Daily, Astro Awani, Sinar Harian and Malaysia Nanban, which formed an alliance tagged as Media in Arms last year to pool resources to offer readers diversified and in-depth content.
The study is aimed at analysing Malaysians’ view or perception towards the risk imposed by their own decision on whether to be taken for a ride, or otherwise, by the scammers.
It will also look into public feedback on efforts that can be taken by the government in formulating preventive measures. The survey, which will be conducted until Oct 30, can be accessed below:
Survey by 5 media, 3 research institutions
