KUALA LUMPUR: A single father, enticed by false promises of employment, was abandoned in a scam syndicate's compound in Cambodia after they deemed him unfit for their fraudulent activities due to his lack of computer skills.
According to reports from China Press, the man was left to fend for himself until the syndicate discovered that his family had reported the case to authorities and held a press conference.
Fearing increased scrutiny, the syndicate returned his passport and released him.
After being trapped in Cambodia for two months, the single father, nicknamed Fei, along with two other scam victims, finally returned to Malaysia yesterday afternoon (Jan 9).
Fei recounted that he had flown to Cambodia on Nov 4 last year for a job as a private driver.
Upon arrival, he was taken to the scam compound and realised he had been deceived.
He revealed that he had minimal computer skills, could not speak English, and resisted participating in scam operations. These factors led the syndicate to consider him "useless."
They "banished" him within the compound, providing only basic food and accommodation to keep him alive while withholding his passport to prevent his escape.
Although Fei was not physically harmed, he lived in constant fear, which caused his weight to drop drastically from 90kg to 70kg. Eventually, he managed to contact a friend, who alerted his mother. She reported the case to authorities and sought help from the Malaysian International Humanitarian Organisation (MHO).
"With MHO's assistance, I was able to return to Malaysia safely. I am deeply grateful for their help," Fei said.
Alongside Fei, two other victims, nicknamed Feng and Wei, also returned to Malaysia after being lured by the same social media job advertisement.
The ad promised a shoe sales position in Cambodia with a salary of $1,300 (approximately RM5,800) per month."
Both men were separately trafficked to a compound in Cambodia, where they later realised they had fallen victim to the same scam when they met each other.
The duo, both from Melaka, failed to meet the syndicate's "fraud performance targets" and were unable to pay the $7,000 (approximately RM31,000) ransom demanded for their release. As a result, they were sold to another syndicate.
In the new compound, they were forced to follow scripted scenarios to carry out romance scams and cryptocurrency investment fraud targeting Americans.