HOT Warning: Trick to force employees to become online scammers

According to the Government Information Portal, recently, the situation of human trafficking across the Vietnam - Cambodia border has become complicated with many new methods and tricks. In particular, bad actors have taken advantage of cyberspace and the trust of victims to deceive and lure them to Cambodia with promises of 'easy work, high salary'.

HOT Warning: Trick to force employees to become online scammers Picture 1

(Illustration)

For example, on the afternoon of December 10, 2024, Mr. NVQ (35 years old, residing in Long An province) received an invitation from an acquaintance to go to Ben Luc district, Long An province to apply for a job at a company. While waiting on the side of the road, a car suddenly stopped nearby and enticed Mr. Q. to get in the car. 

At first, Mr. Q. refused because he wanted to wait for his friend, but because he had to wait too long, he agreed to get in the car. When the car had traveled about 01km, the driver gave Mr. Q. a bottle of mineral water. After drinking it, Mr. Q. passed out. When he woke up, Mr. Q. discovered that he had been taken across the border to Cambodia. 

There, he was beaten, detained and forced to call his family to demand a ransom of hundreds of millions of dong. Many other victims have also fallen into similar situations, forced to work in online fraud establishments in Cambodia, under strict house arrest, beaten and demanded ransom.

has directed the Immigration Department to closely coordinate with relevant units in preventing and combating human trafficking and supporting the rescue of victims. 

On December 12, 2024, the authorities received more than 400 Vietnamese citizens who were tricked into going to Cambodia to work at illegal establishments. Of these, 6 cases reported being tricked by the subjects into offering high-paying jobs at companies, industrial parks and other jobs in Tay Ninh province.

The subjects took advantage of the lack of knowledge of the area, unfamiliarity with the route, taking advantage of the darkness and the lack of vigilance of the victims to arrange closed pick-up and drop-off routes, secretly taking them across the Cambodian border. After that, the victims were forced to work in online fraud establishments, and if they failed to meet the assigned targets, they would be tortured and beaten.

Thereby, Dak Lak Provincial Police warned:

- Be extremely cautious of carpooling invitations or accepting food or drinks from strangers, especially in areas near the border.

- Do not trust high-paying job offers in border areas without clear verification. Check the information carefully and only contact legal recruitment companies, confirmed by the authorities.

- Absolutely do not leave the locality or travel far at the invitation of an acquaintance through social networks without knowing the origin.

- When detecting unusual signs, immediately notify the police or local authorities for timely support.

- Cross-border human trafficking is a serious violation of the law, causing great mental and physical harm and threatening the lives of victims. Vigilance, awareness of self-protection and cooperation with authorities are important keys to preventing and repelling this dangerous crime.

Lesley Montoya

Update 10 February 2025