Police warned the public not to trust job advertisements touting high pay abroad following the return of two college students over the weekend who had been trafficked and forced to work at a cyberscam center in Cambodia.
The two victims, surnamed Lee (李), 18, and Lin (林), 19, were interviewed by police after landing in Taiwan on Saturday.
Taichung’s Chingshui Police Precinct said in a statement yesterday that the two students are good friends, and Lin had suspended her studies after seeing the ad promising good pay to work in Hong Kong.
Photo: Ou Su-mei, Taipei Times
Lee’s grandfather on Thursday reported to police that Lee had sent a message asking for “ransom money,” prompting a rescue effort by Taiwanese law enforcement, foreign officials and a Taichung borough warden with business connections in Cambodia, the police said.
Although the grandfather had wired NT$136,000 to release Lee and Lin, the criminals demanded more money, claiming that the initial ransom had been taken by another group, they added.
The two boarded a flight to Hong Kong in March and had a “job interview,” where they were told they would work in Phnom Penh, which they accepted. Once in Cambodia, they were confined by armed guards and not allowed to move freely. They were forced to work in a cyberscam center, the police said.
Police said their investigation is ongoing as they warned the public to beware social media ads recruiting for overseas work with the promise of good pay, adding that people must verify the company and people offering the job.
“Now we are close to the end of school and the start of the summer holiday. It is the peak season to go on vacation abroad, and also students looking at ads for summer jobs to earn money. So students and parents must exercise extreme caution and be alert to human trafficking by cyberscam operators. It is easy to become careless, and fall into traps set up by criminal groups,” the police said.
Lee and Lin are from low-income families, Lee said, adding that “we both wanted to take jobs to earn money to alleviate the economic hardships which had been burdening our families.”
Lee was quoted by police as saying that “we saw the job offer on social media, and decided to go to Hong Kong to earn money to help my family. I did not think we would get deceived and become victims of a criminal scam. They took us on a flight to Phnom Penh. At that time, I did not know it was in Cambodia. I really should be more careful, and check things out first.”
Taiwan yesterday denied Chinese allegations that its military was behind a cyberattack on a technology company in Guangzhou, after city authorities issued warrants for 20 suspects. The Guangzhou Municipal Public Security Bureau earlier yesterday issued warrants for 20 people it identified as members of the Information, Communications and Electronic Force Command (ICEFCOM). The bureau alleged they were behind a May 20 cyberattack targeting the backend system of a self-service facility at the company. “ICEFCOM, under Taiwan’s ruling Democratic Progressive Party, directed the illegal attack,” the warrant says. The bureau placed a bounty of 10,000 yuan (US$1,392) on each of the 20 people named in
A Chinese aircraft carrier group entered Japan’s economic waters over the weekend, before exiting to conduct drills involving fighter jets, the Japanese Ministry of Defense said yesterday. The Liaoning aircraft carrier, two missile destroyers and one fast combat supply ship sailed about 300km southwest of Japan’s easternmost island of Minamitori on Saturday, a ministry statement said. It was the first time a Chinese aircraft carrier had entered that part of Japan’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ), a ministry spokesman said. “We think the Chinese military is trying to improve its operational capability and ability to conduct operations in distant areas,” the spokesman said. China’s growing
The High Court yesterday found a New Taipei City woman guilty of charges related to helping Beijing secure surrender agreements from military service members. Lee Huei-hsin (李慧馨) was sentenced to six years and eight months in prison for breaching the National Security Act (國家安全法), making illegal compacts with government employees and bribery, the court said. The verdict is final. Lee, the manager of a temple in the city’s Lujhou District (蘆洲), was accused of arranging for eight service members to make surrender pledges to the Chinese People’s Liberation Army in exchange for money, the court said. The pledges, which required them to provide identification
Nine retired generals from Taiwan, Japan and the US have been invited to participate in a tabletop exercise hosted by the Taipei School of Economics and Political Science Foundation tomorrow and Wednesday that simulates a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan in 2030, the foundation said yesterday. The five retired Taiwanese generals would include retired admiral Lee Hsi-min (李喜明), joined by retired US Navy admiral Michael Mullen and former chief of staff of the Japan Self-Defense Forces general Shigeru Iwasaki, it said. The simulation aims to offer strategic insights into regional security and peace in the Taiwan Strait, it added. Foundation chair Huang Huang-hsiung