Editorial | Ordeal of Hong Kong hostages in jobs scam a warning not to be ignored
- With several Hongkongers still unaccounted for after being trafficked to Southeast Asian countries, security officials have set up a special task force to investigate
Online frauds are nothing new. As we feel sorry for those who have fallen for all sorts of scams, it seldom occurs to us that some scammers could be just victims as well.
They were tricked to believe that they could meet their lovers or be able to get a lucrative job overseas; and were held hostage upon arrival until they swindled enough money from others to be set free. Such tales are unfortunately not as widely publicised as the phone and love-investment scams.
And at least 11 Hongkongers are still worryingly unaccounted for or have had their freedoms curbed in foreign places. The authorities must spare no efforts to rescue them.
It is shocking to learn that the government has already received at least 23 cases this year involving people detained against their will overseas. They were conned and trafficked to Cambodia, Myanmar and other Southeast Asian countries and were forced to work for scamming businesses. At least two of them were held for ransom; and 12 have returned safely, according to officials.
The news came to light after authorities in Taiwan arrested several suspects in connection with a human trafficking syndicate and stopped some potential victims from travelling to Cambodia, where they were promised fake high-paying jobs. Dozens have reportedly gone to the northern part of the country for illegal work over the past five months.
