By Express News Service
KOCHI: Over 150 Indian nationals have been trapped in the Myawaddy area of Myanmar across Thailand after falling prey to a job racket entrapping Indians for digital and crypto scams. Most of these persons are from Kerala and Tamil Nadu, according to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA). These persons have been held captive by the racket which is now forcing them to do cybercrime activities.
The issue came to light following media reports recently. The target groups are IT-skilled youth who are duped in the name of lucrative data entry jobs in Thailand through social media advertisements as well as by Dubai- and Indiabased agents. So far, companies namely Dubai-based OKX Plus, Lazada, Super Energy group, and Zhentian group, have been identified as offering these jobs. The trapped victims are allowed limited movement and restricted phone usage.
They are forced to engage in digital scamming and crypto fraud activities. Fake Facebook and Instagram accounts, and IDs are created in the name of Chinese girls who are further used to befriend with high networth individuals from the USA and European countries to dupe them in the name of Crypto currency investment. “Cases of some Indians managing to secure release after paying ransom to the tune of $3,500 to $7,000 have also come to our notice,” said an official communication from the Office of the Protector of Emigrants, Kochi, under MEA.
Since the case was reported in July this year, the MEA through its missions in Thailand and Myanmar has been taking necessary action to rescue such Indian nationals including facilitating necessary consular access to the rescued or released Indian nationals at Immigration Detention centres. “Through the efforts of the diplomatic mission in Yangon, 32 Indian nationals have already been rescued from Myanmar. Both our embassies in Yangon and Bangkok have issued advisories and have been regularly taking up the matter with the local authorities,” said the MEA.
“It has come to our notice that duped Indian nationals travel using the ‘Visa on arrival’ facility to Bangkok and are quickly transferred to Myanmar. Hence, tracking their arrival and onward movement is not possible until the mission is contacted by victims or their relatives after being trafficked across the border. It has been revealed by some of the rescued victims that such camps are located in Myanmar and are mostly under the protection of some armed groups. In many instances, individuals had taken the offer and joined the camps despite being pre-warned by our missions through regular advisories. It has also been noted that some Indians are voluntarily involved in scamming jobs and reportedly received good remuneration to lure other Indian nationals,” added MEA.
KOCHI: Over 150 Indian nationals have been trapped in the Myawaddy area of Myanmar across Thailand after falling prey to a job racket entrapping Indians for digital and crypto scams. Most of these persons are from Kerala and Tamil Nadu, according to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA). These persons have been held captive by the racket which is now forcing them to do cybercrime activities.
The issue came to light following media reports recently. The target groups are IT-skilled youth who are duped in the name of lucrative data entry jobs in Thailand through social media advertisements as well as by Dubai- and Indiabased agents. So far, companies namely Dubai-based OKX Plus, Lazada, Super Energy group, and Zhentian group, have been identified as offering these jobs. The trapped victims are allowed limited movement and restricted phone usage.
They are forced to engage in digital scamming and crypto fraud activities. Fake Facebook and Instagram accounts, and IDs are created in the name of Chinese girls who are further used to befriend with high networth individuals from the USA and European countries to dupe them in the name of Crypto currency investment. “Cases of some Indians managing to secure release after paying ransom to the tune of $3,500 to $7,000 have also come to our notice,” said an official communication from the Office of the Protector of Emigrants, Kochi, under MEA.
Since the case was reported in July this year, the MEA through its missions in Thailand and Myanmar has been taking necessary action to rescue such Indian nationals including facilitating necessary consular access to the rescued or released Indian nationals at Immigration Detention centres. “Through the efforts of the diplomatic mission in Yangon, 32 Indian nationals have already been rescued from Myanmar. Both our embassies in Yangon and Bangkok have issued advisories and have been regularly taking up the matter with the local authorities,” said the MEA.
“It has come to our notice that duped Indian nationals travel using the ‘Visa on arrival’ facility to Bangkok and are quickly transferred to Myanmar. Hence, tracking their arrival and onward movement is not possible until the mission is contacted by victims or their relatives after being trafficked across the border. It has been revealed by some of the rescued victims that such camps are located in Myanmar and are mostly under the protection of some armed groups. In many instances, individuals had taken the offer and joined the camps despite being pre-warned by our missions through regular advisories. It has also been noted that some Indians are voluntarily involved in scamming jobs and reportedly received good remuneration to lure other Indian nationals,” added MEA.
