Eight Malaysians have fallen prey to a job scam and been forced into becoming scammers in Myanmar, Gutzy Asia reported this week citing the Malaysian Police Commissioner Datuk Mohd.

The Malaysian nationals were initially enticed by job offers on Facebook to work in Thailand but were later transported to Myanmar and coerced into working as scammers, similar to the ordeal of a 23-year-old Malaysian recently rescued from Myawaddy, Myanmar.

The Malaysian Police Commissioner revealed that the Malaysian police have received three reports involving eight victims from Malaysian state of Sarawak. The victims, aged 25 to 35, received job offers through Facebook with good salaries for work in Thailand. However, upon their arrival in Thailand, they were taken to Myanmar and forced into scam operations. Failure to meet their employers’ targets resulted in abuse and threats.

The Malaysian police have forwarded the reports to various agencies, including the Bukit Aman Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants (ATIPSOM) D3 unit, Interpol, and ASEANAPOL, seeking the victims' location and rescue.

The Malaysian Police Commissioner warned the public to be cautious of high-paying job offers, both domestically and abroad.

In a separate incident, a 23-year-old Malaysian named Lai managed to escape the clutches of a human trafficking syndicate after falling victim to a deceptive job offer near the Thai-Myanmar border. He had responded to a Facebook job ad promising RM200 (US$43) daily earnings for sound system work in Thailand. However, he was transported to Myanmar, where he was coerced into fraudulent activities. He had to create fake Facebook accounts to exploit victims financially and was subjected to brutal torture when the trafficking syndicate discovered his outreach for help.

His parents sought assistance from the Malaysia International Humanitarian Organization (MHO)