MALAYSIANS, especially the youth, must be cautious of job offers abroad to ensure they are not duped by job scam syndicates, said Foreign Minister Saifuddin Abdullah.

The minister said there is a recent spate of cases, especially from Cambodia, where Malaysians have been duped by fake job offers. 

“Malaysians need to be wary of job offers received in various ways; some (send) WhatsApp (messages) directly to the phone numbers of jobseekers. Malaysians who receive job offers should check the (validity) of the offer,” he said in a news conference at Wisma Putra today. 

Saifuddin said Malaysian missions abroad are always ready to provide appropriate advice on the matter as well as assist Malaysian citizens who are facing difficulty.

He said Malaysians in need of information regarding the legitimacy or authenticity of companies that approach them can seek help from Malaysian embassies in the respective countries or the Foreign Ministry’s consular services. 

Prior to this, local media reported that 16 Malaysians who claim to be victims of a job scam syndicate in Cambodia had arrived safely in Malaysia last month from Phnom Penh. 

The minister said there are still over 20 such victims from Malaysia detained in Phnom Penh and waiting to be brought back to Malaysia.

On another note, Saifuddin said several countries have indicated their willingness to increase their acceptance of more Rohingya refugees in Malaysia into their respective countries for the resettlement process.

He said the resettlement process of the refugees to third countries has been disrupted in the past two years due to the Covid-19 pandemic. 

“There are indications that some countries have agreed to double the acceptance of the number of Rohingya refugees (who are now in Malaysia),” he said when asked to comment on the issue of Rohingya refugees who fled the Sg Bakap Temporary Immigration Depot, Kedah, last month. 

Safuddin said he had also met the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) director in Kuala Lumpur to discuss the Rohingya resettlement process. 

As of March this year, the UNHCR estimates that there are about 103,810 Rohingya people in Malaysia. – Bernama, May 7, 2022.