Myanmar job scam : The Tribune India

The rescue of 32 Indian nationals from a remote part of Myanmar last month had prompted an advisory by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA). A warning was issued against falling for high-paying international job offers floated on social media by dubious IT firms. Another batch of 13 was freed from the captors last week. They, too, were being forced to engage, under harsh conditions, in digital scamming and forged crypto activities. Many more are still believed to be trapped. Not just India, professionals from around Asia are being tricked into going to Thailand, Cambodia, Laos or Myanmar. To the MEA’s credit, it has spared no effort in coming to their aid. Given the scale of the scam, there is a dire need to increase public awareness of the modus operandi.

Trapped by cyber-criminal syndicates, supposedly with a Chinese link, the recruits face beatings and are deprived of food if they resist indulging in online fraud. Victims of the scam, mainly in the US and Canada, have lost huge amounts after being lured into depositing money on fake platforms. Cambodia ordered a crackdown in September, leading to the release of hundreds of foreign nationals after raids at hideouts. A similar exercise in India against job agents allegedly involved in the racket would send a strong message.

An engineer from Tamil Nadu — who was among those rescued — claimed that the dark web firm made them target 40 people daily. Their phones were seized and they were tortured to work for 15-16 hours. The shocking details are an eye-opener, but India is no stranger to cybercrime and its astonishingly widening net. The Central Bureau of Investigation recently launched Operation Chakra in coordination with foreign agencies, raiding locations across the country. Call centres have been busted and cybercriminals arrested. But it could just be scraping the surface. The investigating agencies will forever be playing catch-up unless cyber cells are hugely prioritised and provided the resources that will enable them to be a step ahead of the new-age criminals.