Beware of fake job rackets from Thailand, Myanmar: MEA advisory
What's the story
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Saturday issued an advisory asking Indians to be wary of fake job rackets promising lucrative jobs in digital sales and marketing.
The fraudsters are said to be dubious IT firms carrying out call centre scams and forged cryptocurrency frauds targeting IT skilled youth.
The issue came to notice after the Indian Missions in Thailand and Myanmar.
Context
Why does this story matter?
Over 60 Indians fell prey to fake IT job offers in Thailand by an international racket and were taken illegally to Myanmar, where they were held captive in inhospitable conditions and were tortured.
On Thursday, MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said that 32 of the Indians trapped in Myanmar were rescued while they were working on bringing back the rest.
Information
Check credentials of employers, agents
The advisory said that the people were being duped through false social media advertisements as well as agents based in India and Dubai.
The advisory cautioned people to check and verify the credentials of foreign employers or companies through the respective Missions in those countries and simultaneously checking the antecedents of the recruiting agents as well.
Twitter Post
Read the advisory here
Advisory regarding fake job rackets targeting IT skilled youthhttps://t.co/Pty9wblp45 pic.twitter.com/bnuhth3NbI
— Arindam Bagchi (@MEAIndia) September 24, 2022
Stalin's letter
Rescue Indians illegally held captive: Stalin to Modi
Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin wrote a letter to PM Narendra Modi on Wednesday asking him to rescue around 300 Indian nationals held captive illegally in Myanmar, which included 50 Tamil Nadu natives.
In the letter he said his government was in touch with the families of 17 such persons who were expecting government intervention for their repatriation.
Details
Physically assaulted on refusal to go to Myanmar
People are duped into accepting the fraudulent job offers which mention the workplace in Thailand.
But instead they are taken to Myanmar's southeastern state of Myawaddy where the government has limited control as the region is in clutches of armed ethnic groups.
Those who were initially taken to Thailand were later forced to go to Myanmar and on refusing, they were beaten up.
Yangon
Indian embassy in Yangon had issued advisory in July
The Indian embassy in Myanmar had issued an advisory on July 5, cautioning against the fake job racket targeting IT skilled youth from India.
It said that people duped into taking up the jobs are then forced to carry out call centre scams and other such criminal activities.
Myanmar is India's strategic neighbor and shares a border stretching 1,640 kilometers.