The Indian government says it rescued and repatriated 250 citizens who sought jobs in Cambodia, only to be forced into conducting cybercrime once they arrived.
The government explains that these people were tricked into believing that lucrative job opportunities were waiting for them in the Southeast Asian nation, yet they were forced into becoming cybercriminals once they arrived there.
After several nationals informed India’s Embassy in Cambodia of their dire situation, the country worked with the Cambodian authorities to locate and bring them back.
“Our Embassy in Cambodia has been promptly responding to complaints from Indian nationals who were lured with employment opportunities to that country but were forced to undertake illegal cyber work,” reads the announcement.
“Collaborating closely with Cambodian authorities, it has rescued and repatriated about 250 Indians, of which 75 in just the last three months.”
However, India Today reports that there are at least 5,000 more held captive in Cambodia and forced to launch scams that have generated nearly $60,000,000 in the last six months.
One of the rescued scammers reports that he had come to Cambodia to fill out a data entry job but was instead forced into living in horrid conditions while carrying out scams coordinated by a team of Chinese and Malaysian scammers.
The person, termed “cyber slave,” reports that they were told to create fake social media profiles used for defrauding fellow Indians. Their overseers assigned daily financial quotas and enforced them with physical violence and isolation on those who failed to meet them.
The scammers impersonate law enforcement officers who contact select victims deemed gullible by their social media profiles and blackmail them with false allegations about illegal items found in parcels sent by them.
At some point, they targeted a senior government employee who reported his losses to the Odisha police. The ensuing investigation revealed eight people linked to the massive scam operation.
As investigations continue into locating and repatriating more victims, the revelations shed light on this sinister international syndicate that leverages the desperation of job seekers.
The case also serves as a reminder of the evolving challenges in cybersecurity and the importance of international cooperation in combating cybercrime.
