KUALA LUMPUR: Several family members of job scam victims have reported that their loved ones are being tortured by syndicates abroad.
Among them is a 33-year-old tuition teacher, known only as Sophia, who claims her husband is being held against his will.
"My husband works as a salesman in Johor and was offered a job overseas. He was told he only had to work for four days and would be paid RM5,000 for each day," she said, adding that he flew to Bangkok on Oct 17.
Sophia said that her husband kept in touch throughout his trip, knowing she was worried.
"He told me someone had arranged his transportation to accommodations, and I even video-called him that night.
The next morning, at 9am, he called to say he had been captured.
"The people holding him demanded a RM100,000 ransom for his release," she said, explaining that they wanted the money transferred immediately.
Desperate to help, Sophia reached out to family and friends for funds but was unsuccessful.
"About 15 minutes later, I received another call from my husband, and I could hear him being beaten. I immediately went to a relative's house to seek assistance," she said.
During the next call, they demanded cash again, and she said she could only arrange for RM10,000 and needed more time.
"I was told to transfer that money, and that my husband would have to work for a year in Myanmar. The call then switched to video, and I saw my husband, bloodied and bruised. Since then, I haven't heard from him," she added.
Meanwhile, a 38-year-old man, known only as Wong, said that his brother had been held by a job scam syndicate since Sept 23.
"He claimed he was in Myawaddy, Myanmar, and the syndicate demanded RM21,000 for his medical bills and to arrange his return home. My younger brother tried to escape and broke his legs when he fell from the second floor of a building," he said, adding that he transferred RM21,000 to several bank accounts.
A week later, the syndicate contacted him again, demanding more money, but Wong told them he could not send any additional funds.
"Since then, I have not heard from him," he said, adding that he believed his brother was offered work in the mechanical engineering field.
Meanwhile, Malaysia International Humanitarian Organisation (MHO) secretary-general Datuk Hishamuddin Hashim said that they were developing a strategy to safely return these victims.
"This is the modus operandi of job scam syndicates. They lure victims to foreign countries, torture them, and demand ransoms from their families. We advise family members never to pay these ransom demands," he said.