Indians trapped in Cambodia reportedly forced to defraud people returning home (Representative)

New Delhi:

The center urges Indians looking for work in Cambodia to be cautious when accepting any job offers and warns of false job advertisements and human trafficking scams.

The center said in its advisory that Indians were “seduced by false promises of lucrative employment opportunities in Cambodia” and were “falling into the trap of human traffickers”.

Indians must go through authorized agents only and thoroughly check the employer’s background before migrating, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in an advisory to Indians looking to work in Cambodia on Thursday.

“It has been noticed that Indian nationals, lured by false promises of lucrative employment opportunities in Cambodia, are falling into the trap of human traffickers. These Indian nationals are being forced to engage in online financial fraud and other illegal activities.”

The MEA is working with Cambodian authorities through its mission in Phnom Penh to assist affected Indians, the statement said.

This comes days after reports emerged that at least 5,000 Indians were being held against their will in Cambodia after being promised employment and forced to defraud Indians back home by posing as law enforcement officials and using catfish accounts on dating apps.

The sheer scale of the scam – the Center pegged the proceeds of the crime over the past six months at a whopping Rs 500 crore – prompted the two countries to join forces to bust it all.

So far, with the joint efforts of the MEA and Cambodian authorities, 250 Indians have been rescued and brought back to India, of which 75 Indians have been rescued in the past three months.

MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said the Indian embassy was “responding swiftly to complaints from Indian nationals who were lured to the country by job opportunities but were forced to work illegally online”.