Victim lured by fake job offer, forced into cyber fraud operation
PANAJI
A young engineering graduate from Goa was among 283 victims freed from illegal scam centers in Myanmar.
The broader effort has led to the release of nearly 7,000 workers from over two dozen countries including India, many of whom were lured with fraudulent job offers and forced into exploitative conditions.
The Goan youth, whose identity has been kept under wraps, was trapped in one such cybercrime syndicate run by Chinese operators. He returned home on Tuesday night with the intervention of the Union Ministry of Home Affairs and Cyber Crime Cell of Goa Police.
According to Cyber Crime Superintendent Rahul Gupta, the victim’s ordeal began in January 2025 when he responded to an enticing job advertisement on Instagram for a call center position in Thailand.
The offer, promising free accommodation, food and a lucrative salary of Rs 60,000 per month, turned out to be a well-orchestrated ruse.
“The recruitment process was entirely conducted online as all communication took place over WhatsApp. The agent, never meeting the victim in person, arranged his flight to Bangkok, where he arrived on a tourist visa on January 14, 2025. Initially housed at a resort in Mae Sot, Thailand, the young man was secretly transported across the border into Myanmar via a river crossing.
Upon arrival, he found himself locked inside a heavily guarded compound, isolated from the outside world and deprived of any means of escape,” Gupta said.
Inside the compound, the Goan youth was made to work 14 hours per day without any days off.
“He was assigned to a team under a foreign national acting as a supervisor. His role involved sending mass messages to hundreds of potential victims, primarily US citizens, using fraudulent pretexts. Any responses received were escalated to senior operatives who engaged in further deceptive practices, including investment fraud and honey trapping,” the officer revealed.
The Cyber Crime Cell reiterated that foreign-based jobs should only be applied through MEA registered agents.
In all other cases, there is a high chance of fraud. Citizens must stay vigilant and report any such suspecting agents to cyber PS or local PS.Citizens can report through the 1930 helpline or the Cybercrime.gov.in website.
