“Dozens of media reports and numerous victim accounts collected by local and international organizations suggest that thousands of people, mostly foreign nationals, are entrapped in these situations,” they said, bluntly, five months ago.
These types of operations – based mainly in the notoriously lawless southern port town of Sihanoukville – are similar to “boiler rooms,” which were not uncommon in Cambodia 10 to 20 years ago when Westerners were far more prominent in this country.
Back then boiler rooms were typically run by English-speaking Europeans who recruited from the ranks of backpackers and unsavory elements in the expat community who would target the wealthy and retired in the West with dodgy investments.
And these operations are nasty. Beatings and torture by electrocution are common, according to victim accounts. People are held in third or fourth floor rooms. Some jump and, obviously, injure themselves. They have been ransomed, with families expected to pay thousands of dollars for their release. Many are sold onward.
近 20 年来经济迅速增长的东南亚国家柬埔寨，是本区域另一个具增长潜力的希望之地，但近年也成为华语电话诈骗集团的温床。
除了中国台湾以外，近月还传出一些东南亚国家的国民也被高薪骗到柬埔寨西哈努克港打工。
他们抵达后才赫然发现招聘广告上的厨师、交易员、人事专员等职位都是幌子，真正的工作是进行网络诈骗。
新加坡早报记者今年5月实地走访西港，并联系上一名受骗打工者，为读者揭开诈骗集团的黑幕。
诈骗集团目标主要锁定中国人，所以职员也大多来自中国大陆。中国大陆祭出严令禁止国人前往柬国，诈骗集团面对“人力资源困境”，开始把目光投向东南亚和台湾能读写中文的华人。
据了解，随着中国和柬埔寨合作加强取缔，部分诈骗集团已将大本营转移至缅甸北部和迪拜。
柬埔寨华文媒体《柬中时报》报道，指柬埔寨南部与越南接壤的干丹省，当地位于边境附近的一座赌场，昨日下午发生骚动，大批越南籍员工怀疑为摆脱拘禁，袭击保安后集体逃亡。其中40人成功游回越南，1人被水冲走，1人被抓回去！
对于近期频频发生台湾民众遭诱骗赴柬埔寨工作被囚禁、殴打事件，国台办发言人马晓光表示，在海外的台胞遇到什么困难，都可以及时联系中国驻外使领馆寻求帮助。