Noting how hundreds of Malaysians have fallen victim to such scams, MTUC president Effendy Abdul Ghani called for a registered employment agency system for those looking to work abroad.

He said the system would only display “authentic” job advertisements, which would ensure that Malaysians could work overseas in a “more safe and secure” manner.

He also suggested that the government monitors citizens who enter foreign countries with tourist visas but end up working there.

On Wednesday, Wisma Putra said there had been a total of 301 reported cases of Malaysians who were duped by job scams in Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Cambodia.

Out of the 301, 168 victims had been rescued and brought back to Malaysia. Another 34 victims had been placed in immigration detention centres overseas and 99 were still being traced by the authorities in the respective countries.

Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob has agreed to set up a committee to tackle the issue of Malaysians falling victim to job scams abroad.

He added that the government was making use of all available channels to rescue Malaysians who had been duped by such scams and were being held abroad.

In a case that created headlines earlier this month, it was reported that a 25-year-old Malaysian, Goi Zhen Feng, who had fallen victim to a job scam syndicate in Myanmar, was believed to have died from the abuse he suffered. He was cremated in Bangkok after his parents went there to identify his remains.

Goi died on May 11 at the Mae Sot Hospital near the Thailand-Myanmar border, with a doctor there informing his parents that Goi was abused before being sent to the hospital on April 11 under a fake name and passport number.