PUTRAJAYA: A group of non-governmental organisations today sent a memorandum to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob to seek the government's assistance and intervention in the job scam issue abroad.

Several Malaysian job seekers have become victims of the syndicates with some fearing for their lives.

The memorandum was handed over to the prime minister's political secretary, Khaizulnizam Mohamad Zuldin, at the grounds of the Perdana Putra building, here, with over 30 family members of the victims also present.

Semboyan Malaysia Consumers Association (PPSM) president Muhamad Yusuf Azmi said the NGOs urged the government to tighten the travel conditions for Malaysians aged under 40 years seeking jobs in countries at risk of scams such as Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Thailand.

Hundreds are believed to be still trapped in these countries and he said most of the Malaysian victims were aged between 16 to 40.

They had been duped via social media by fictitious job advertisements offering high salaries.

Khairulnizam suggested that only registered companies and those which had received approval from the Malaysian government for the countries involved should be allowed to hire workers from Malaysia.

Former inspector-general of police, Tan Sri Musa Hassan, who is also president of the Malaysian Community Crime Care (MCCC) organisation, said that hopefully, police could use the Asean Desk at federal police headquarters in Bukit Aman to communicate with the authorities in the countries involved to obtain information on the job scam syndicates.

"The victims will be tortured and forced to sell their organs or become prostitutes if they do not meet the targets set," said Musa, who called for immediate action to be taken to avoid more people becoming victims of the syndicates.

A representative of the Malaysia International Humanitarian Organisation (MHO), Daniel Khoo, who is communicating with the syndicate victims in the four countries mentioned, said that he had received over 30 reports in the last two weeks.

Based on the latest information, a number of victims were in a dangerous situation with fears of their organs being sold.

Khoo claimed that there was also a case where a victim was offered a high income in Dubai.

However, upon arrival there he was injected with a drug until he became unconscious and was then abducted and taken to Myanmar.

Meanwhile, the mother of a 20-year-old victim said that her son was offered a job in China by his friend but after several months, she received information that her son had become the victim of a job scam syndicate in Laos.

"He left in April after informing me that he had obtained a job in China but ended up getting trapped in Laos as the victim of a job scam syndicate. He has escaped and is now in hiding as his life is in danger," she revealed.

The father of another victim said his two sons, aged 35 and 38, were purportedly offered a job in Thailand but were now in hiding in Myanmar and hoping for help to return safely to Malaysia. - Bernama