Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifudin Nasution Ismail said that as the chair of the summit next year, Malaysia decided to address the issue of job scams as it has become a global crisis.
"We are the first among ASEAN nations to include this topic at the ASEAN Summit, which we will chair next year...we are also the one that proposed for the issue to be included as one of the 10 main agendas.
"Job scam was previously classified as fraud by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) but the crime is now recognised as human trafficking crime...so not only are we seeing this crisis, but regional and global countries are also facing it."
The minister said this during Question Time in reply to Senator Rita Sarimah Anak Patrick Insol who wanted to know the current statistics on job scam victims and the government's efforts to tackle the issue more efficiently and effectively.
Saifudin said that from September 2021 until now, police have received 362 reports related to job scams involving 470 victims.
"Out of these 470 victims, 331 have been rescued, and the remaining 139 are categorised as still stranded in the countries involved," he said.
As part of continuous efforts to raise awareness among the public about this crime, Saifudin said a joint effort will be carried out with Malaysia Airports Berhad.
He said under this joint effort, counters related to job scams and human trafficking will be set up at the country's exit points to raise awareness among the public before they leave the country and fall victim to the crime.
"At these counters, they may check beforehand before proceeding further. We will also have electronic or digital displays at the country's exit points as a final effort to continue reminding the public," he said.
-- BERNAMA
