A Sabahan youth who was lured overseas by a fake job offer has been brought home after being rescued from a scam syndicate operating in Cambodia.

The victim, from Keningau, landed at Kota Kinabalu International Airport last night after transiting through Kuala Lumpur.

Malaysian International Humanitarian Organisation (MHO) Sabah’s chief operating officer Capt (R) Jerry Jaimeh said his team launched the rescue operation shortly after receiving a report from the victim’s family on March 25.

“We worked closely with Cambodia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the family to secure his release,” Jerry said during a brief press conference after welcoming the victim at the airport around 8.30pm last night. 

He said job scams continued to target Malaysians—especially those in rural areas—due to low awareness about such syndicates.

“Even though we’ve seen many of these cases, people are still falling into the trap. More awareness campaigns are clearly needed,” he said.

The victim, who asked not to be named, said he had been offered what sounded like a lucrative job as a security guard but ended up being confined and watched around the clock by multiple guards.

“I was there for about two weeks. They didn’t hurt me, maybe because I was new,” he said, but declined to share further details. – March 30, 2025