KUALA LUMPUR: The Foreign Ministry has successfully brought 518 overseas job scam victims home as of Nov 3.
Deputy foreign minister Datuk Mohamad Alamin told the Dewan Rakyat that Wisma Putra is currently working on identifying another 26 job scam victims in Myanmar.
"We are working through the Malaysian Embassy in Yangon, Myanmar, to cooperate with the governments of Thailand, Vietnam, the Philippines, and China.
"Wisma Putra is coordinating and exploring all possible alternatives to rescue and bring home these 26 victims of job scam syndicates," he said when replying to Oscar Ling Chai Yew ( PH-Sibu) in Parliament today.
He said there are 704 victims who have officially registered with the ministry.
"Among those detected, there are still 186 individuals who have not yet been brought home," he said.
Mohamad said he takes note of certain media reports claiming there are up to 2,000 victims out there.
"This suggests there are potentially unregistered individuals our authorities have not detected.
"Wisma Putra would like to appeal for cooperation from all parties. If you hold any information, please provide it to us so that we can collaborate with the relevant committee to locate and subsequently the victims home."
Mohamad said the government is still waiting for a green light from the Myanmar authorities to visit and conduct engagements.
He assured that the ministry is taking proactive measures to curb the issue. He said the ongoing initiatives will not be disclosed prematurely to the public.
"We are concerned that it may disrupt investigations and our ongoing efforts," he said.
A multi-agency special committee led by the Foreign Ministry has been established to ensure Malaysians who have fallen victim to job scam syndicates and are stranded overseas will be brought home safely.
"Wisma Putra would like to remind all Malaysian citizens to remain vigilant and be cautious when receiving any dubious job offers through social media platforms," said Mohamad.