The Home Ministry says 621 Malaysians have been rescued from overseas job scams as police intensify cross-border operations against syndicates.
PETALING JAYA: A total of 621 Malaysians have been rescued after falling victim to overseas job scam syndicates between 2021 and June 30 this year, the Home Ministry (KDN) said.
The ministry said a total of 581 police reports involving 743 Malaysian victims stranded abroad had been recorded during the period, with 122 victims still trapped in Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos. Ongoing efforts are being undertaken to bring them home.
The ministry said the cases were being addressed through cross-border intelligence cooperation involving the police, international law enforcement networks and Malaysian diplomatic missions.
“Cooperation with the Foreign Ministry and Malaysian embassies in Cambodia, Myanmar, Laos and Thailand has helped speed up intelligence sharing, operations and rescue efforts.
“Police utilise police-to-police cooperation through Interpol, Aseanapol, the Asean Heads of Specialist Anti-Trafficking Units (HSU) and the Emergency Response Network (ERN) under the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC),” it said in a written parliamentary reply.
The ministry also clarified that the 1,537 cases recorded in the first three months of 2026 referred to domestic part-time job scam cases rather than overseas job scam cases.
For overseas job scams, 21 police reports involving 24 Malaysian victims were received between Jan 1 and June 30.
“To tackle domestic scams, police have strengthened digital forensic capabilities to identify syndicates, while working with the Digital Ministry and the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) to remove fake job advertisements and scam platforms.
“The National Scam Response Centre (NSRC), together with Bank Negara Malaysia, MCMC and financial institutions, has also been strengthened to enable faster tracing of funds and the freezing of mule bank accounts,” it added.
At the domestic level, the ministry highlighted that enforcement operations had dismantled 10 syndicates in the Klang Valley and Johor, leading to the arrest of 29 local agents and the rescue of 40 victims.
“KDN will not compromise and will continue taking firm action under the Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants Act 2007 and the Penal Code against masterminds or local agents found collaborating with international syndicates,” it said.
