More than 5,000 Indian nationals have been forced to work as cyber criminals after being lured by employment opportunities in Cambodia.
The 'work' is believed to have involved scamming fellow Indians by pretending to be law enforcement officers, who claimed that suspicious items had been found in packages sent by those they had contacted. Some were also forced to pose as women on dating apps to carry out cryptocurrency trading scams.
Those failing to meet strict daily targets were denied such things as food and rest, and the amount of money scammed in the six months to March, 2024, totalled nearly USD$60 million.
India and Cambodia are working together to combat the scam, as outlined by Indian government spokesperson, Shri Randhir Jaiswal: "We remain committed to helping all those Indian nationals in Cambodia who seek our support. We are also working with Cambodian authorities and with agencies in India to crack down on those responsible for these fraudulent schemes.”
The Indian Embassy in Cambodia has rescued and repatriated about 250 Indians caught up in the illegal enterprise.
