Police warned the public not to trust job advertisements touting high pay abroad following the return of two college students over the weekend who had been trafficked and forced to work at a cyberscam center in Cambodia.
The two victims, surnamed Lee (李), 18, and Lin (林), 19, were interviewed by police after landing in Taiwan on Saturday.
Taichung’s Chingshui Police Precinct said in a statement yesterday that the two students are good friends, and Lin had suspended her studies after seeing the ad promising good pay to work in Hong Kong.
Photo: Ou Su-mei, Taipei Times
Lee’s grandfather on Thursday reported to police that Lee had sent a message asking for “ransom money,” prompting a rescue effort by Taiwanese law enforcement, foreign officials and a Taichung borough warden with business connections in Cambodia, the police said.
Although the grandfather had wired NT$136,000 to release Lee and Lin, the criminals demanded more money, claiming that the initial ransom had been taken by another group, they added.
The two boarded a flight to Hong Kong in March and had a “job interview,” where they were told they would work in Phnom Penh, which they accepted. Once in Cambodia, they were confined by armed guards and not allowed to move freely. They were forced to work in a cyberscam center, the police said.
Police said their investigation is ongoing as they warned the public to beware social media ads recruiting for overseas work with the promise of good pay, adding that people must verify the company and people offering the job.
“Now we are close to the end of school and the start of the summer holiday. It is the peak season to go on vacation abroad, and also students looking at ads for summer jobs to earn money. So students and parents must exercise extreme caution and be alert to human trafficking by cyberscam operators. It is easy to become careless, and fall into traps set up by criminal groups,” the police said.
Lee and Lin are from low-income families, Lee said, adding that “we both wanted to take jobs to earn money to alleviate the economic hardships which had been burdening our families.”
Lee was quoted by police as saying that “we saw the job offer on social media, and decided to go to Hong Kong to earn money to help my family. I did not think we would get deceived and become victims of a criminal scam. They took us on a flight to Phnom Penh. At that time, I did not know it was in Cambodia. I really should be more careful, and check things out first.”
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