'Singaporean scammed of $67,000': Malaysian who escaped Cambodian syndicate shares his experience
A Malaysian man who successfully escaped from a job scam syndicate based in Cambodia has shared how he and others were forced to make scam calls to victims, posing as «officers from a cyber security agency from Singapore». During a press conference held in Kuala Lumpur on Wednesday (Dec 3) following his release, Muhammad Syafiq Pubalan Abdullah, 40, also said that under his watch, «one Singapore was scammed out of $67,000». The businessman shared that he had been tricked into the syndicate by a friend of more than 12 years who urged Syafiq to open a Malaysian restaurant in Cambodia, reported The Star. After arriving in Bangkok, he was taken to Cambodia by a driver. Syafiq estimated that there were about 700 Malaysians held at the centre, with many facing torture while being held captive. The victims, aged between 17 and 35, were often beaten up, he said. He shared that he was also hit every day during his first week in the centre, and was forced to eat pork or be beaten up.