PETALING JAYA: Bukit Aman Criminal Investigation Department (CID) director Datuk Seri Abd Jalil Hassan is leading a team to rescue 29 Malaysian victims of online job scams trapped in Cambodia.

Police sources told Sin Chew Daily that Datuk Seri Abd Jalil, together with four high-ranking officers from the Bukit Aman CID Department and an officer from the Foreign Affairs Ministry will be flying to Cambodia on Tuesday.

The team will be discussing with their counterparts in Cambodia how to rescue the 29 Malaysians held by the syndicates in the country.

They are believed to remain in Cambodia until Friday.

As of January 18, the police received a total of 114 reports of Malaysians having fallen prey to online job scams in Cambodia.

However, the number of Malaysians rescued from the syndicates is higher than the number of those who have lodged police reports.

“To date, 116 Malaysians have been rescued while 29 are still trapped,” said the source.

The police have busted two online job syndicates and arrested eight suspects – five male and three female.

These suspects are the ones who duped the locals to work in Cambodia through online advertisements.

“The police are investigating them under Section 12 of the Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants Act 2007.

“The investigation papers have been submitted to the Deputy Public Prosecutor for the next course of action,” said the source.

Members of the public are advised to be careful with online recruitment advertisements, especially those offering overseas jobs.

They are advised to verify the companies, details of the employers and the scope of work.

“Before signing any new job offer, one has to carefully read the terms stated in the contract,” he said.