GEORGE TOWN: A job scam victim can finally breathe a sigh of relief as he is now home after more than three months.

       The 30-year-old man - known only as Ah Tai - was in the care of the Malaysian Embassy in Thailand as his passport was stolen.

       After his travel documents were processed, he finally returned home to Nibong Tebal on June 2.

       “I am thankful to have regained my freedom and I would like to thank my family, Good Samaritans as well as Penang MCA for helping to raise funds for my release," said Ah Tai.

       He added that he hoped people do not fall prey to job scams which offer a job overseas and promise a high salary.

       “In fact, it was a friend that recommended me to go to work in Thailand and I was lured by the high income. I was promised a job in management with a monthly salary of between RM7,000 to RM10,000," he said.

       Ah Tai then added at a press conference on Saturday (June 4) by Penang MCA public service and complaints bureau head Ooi Teik Liang that he realized he was scammed when he was given a desk job.

       He said that there are between 3,000 to 5,000 Malaysians who are still trapped there.

       “Some of them want to come home but they could not do so as our phones were confiscated. We have limited access to the world; I was placed in a tightly guarded area and we were forced to call prospective victims from around the world," said Ah Tai.

       He added that Malaysians were employed as scammers targeting the European market as we can understand English.

       "We worked from 5pm to 7am every day and if we do not achieve the target set by them, we will be punished. They will make us do squats or carry water bottles on our heads,” he said.

       Ah Tai said he was only paid THB 23,000 (RM 2,945) once throughout his working period.

       Meanwhile, Ooi said Penang MCA is currently helping two more victims to come home.

       “We hope that the public, especially youths, will be more aware and not be lured by the high salary. We should not be taken by deals and promises that are too good to be true," said Ooi.

       “You should understand the job's nature first and get insights from the elderly before making any decisions,” he added.

       On May 21, two victims of a workers' scam by a syndicate in Myanmar, were freed after their families and Good Samaritans raised the money to secure their release.

       Ah Yuan, who is one of the victims, arrived home in Penang and was reunited with his loved ones.

       Ah Tai’s journey home was delayed as his passport was stolen.

       It took a payment of US$13,363 (RM60,000) to secure the release of Ah Yuan and Ah Tai.

       This was raised by family members and MCA.

       In Chinese social media circles, those who are entrapped by worker scams in Myanmar face strong criticism to the point of being called “zhu zai”, literally meaning “piglet”.