43 Malaysians rescued after being lured by Amsterdam job scam

SEPANG, Selangor - When a 25-year-old man, known only as Mr Alif, was offered a job at a hotel in Amsterdam with a salary upward of US$1,500 (S$2,050), he jumped at the chance.

After all, he could see the Netherlands and have a job as well.

Then came the shock.

Amsterdam was just a stopover and he realised he had been tricked only when he reached the premises of a Macau job scam syndicate in Lima, Peru, on Sept 29.

After his passport and mobile phone were confiscated, his ordeal at the hands of the syndicate began.

Luckily, his ordeal lasted just over a week.

He was among 43 Malaysian victims rescued by the authorities in Peru on Oct 7 and flown home to Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) on Thursday.

It all started when Mr Alif saw an advertisement on Facebook with an offer of US$1,500 for work at a hotel in Amsterdam.

“I clicked on the link in the ad and was redirected to the Telegram app where I applied for the job,” he said.

“All contact and details were given via Telegram until I collected my ticket and flew to Amsterdam.”

When he reached Amsterdam, Mr Alif was put on a connecting flight to Lima.

“On arrival in Peru, someone picked me up from the airport and when we reached the house, they took my passport and mobile phone away.

“It was then that I realised I was the victim of a job scam,” he said, adding that there were other people in the house.

He said he was given food, but noticed that the house was highly secured.

“It was surrounded by electric fences, which made it almost impossible to escape,” he said.

Mr Alif was one of three victims brought back to Malaysia.

The other two – both 23-year-old women – were in high spirits when they reached the arrival hall of KLIA.

It was learnt that the Peruvian police conducted the raid on the house after an unknown number of victims escaped and went straight to the police.

A total of 43 victims – 26 women and 17 men aged between 18 and 30 – were rescued from the house in Lima’s La Molina district.

Deputy Foreign Minister Mohamad Alamin said another 37 Malaysians will return to the country on four flights from Saturday to Monday and on Wednesday.

“The 37 victims are currently being kept at an undisclosed safe house by the Peruvian authorities. I hope their family members do not worry,” Datuk Mohamad said.

He said the three victims who were brought back to Malaysia would have their statements recorded by the authorities before going home.

“We understand that three others are being held for further investigations by the Peru authorities,” he said, while praising the Peruvian government for rescuing the victims and speeding up the process of sending them home.

Mr Mohamad said the Foreign Ministry, through its embassy in Lima, would continue to monitor developments and extend consular assistance.

“The victims involved are from all over the country,” he said, urging the public to be wary of ads offering high-paying jobs abroad. THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK