All 43 Malaysians who fell victim to a Macau scam syndicate in Peru last September have been rescued, according to Deputy Foreign Minister Datuk Mohamad Alamin. They are scheduled to return to Malaysia on different aircraft.
According to The Sun Daily, currently the surviving victims are kept in a safe house in locations. But it cannot be revealed for security concerns.
“Family members do not have to worry because we have been informed that they are safe. The Peruvian government has cooperated in taking care of them and their safety.” he said at a press conference at the KLIA arrival hall.
As part of the syndicate’s enticement strategy, Mohamad claims that the victims were offered desirable positions.
They received job offers as cooks, at hotels, and in casinos. In addition to free airfare, lodging, and meals, they were also given an attractive monthly salary of US$1,500 (RM7,200).
“I urge everyone not to be deceived by such offers. You have to be alert and check properly. This requires a high level of vigilance and people must be aware that these scams can happen.”
The victims were informed, according to Mohammed, that the jobs were in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, not Peru.
“But there was no problem when entering Peru because they used their passports, so it was legal. We do not have information about what they were supposed to do, because they had not started working yet before we realised it was a scam.
To keep things from worsening, the Foreign Ministry acted quickly, as did Malaysian and Peruvian police, the Malaysian embassies in Lima, Peru, and the Peruvian embassy in Kuala Lumpur.
Mohamad thanked the Peruvian government, consulate, and Malaysian and Peruvian police for their rescue efforts.
“We thank the Peruvian government for its cooperation in tracking down and repatriating the Malaysians involved in this Macau scam.”
He added the government and Foreign Ministry will increase public awareness regarding syndicates.
“We want to further increase our parallel program and our campaign through social media to remind people to be more alert when accepting job offers abroad.
“I believe government agencies such as the police will also take similar steps to reinforce this awareness campaign.”
The 25-year-old rescue victim, who wished to remain anonymous, claimed to have learned about the job offer via Facebook.
“I was given a link that redirected me to Telegram and asked to provide personal information and passport details.”
He claimed that after arriving in Amsterdam, he was offered a job. Still, he and the other victims were instead flown to Lima, Peru.
“When we arrived, our phones and passports were confiscated and we were held in a house for a week before we realised that we had been deceived.
“We tried to run away, but the house was guarded by an electric fence and the security was tight. It was like being locked up.”
Currently housed in a safe house in Peru, the victims—of which the first three arrived yesterday—have been divided into groups and will board planes to Malaysia on 28, 29, 30 October, and 1 November.
All 43 Malaysians who fell victim to a Macau scam syndicate in Peru last September have been rescued, according to Deputy Foreign Minister Datuk Mohamad Alamin. They are scheduled to return to Malaysia on different aircraft.