They were among 672 Malaysians identified by police as having been duped by offers of employment abroad, with many ending up stranded in countries such as Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos.

“Of the 672 victims, 533 (79%) were successfully rescued while 139 (21%) remain stranded,” he said.

Saifuddin said police had received 518 reports about such scams between 2021 and July 4 this year.

Men made up the bulk of the rescued victims, with 431 (81%) males and 102 (19%) females. Most were over 18 years old.

“A total of 517 people (97%) were adults, comprising 422 men and 95 women. The remaining 16 were children under the age of 18 – nine boys and seven girls,” he said.

Johor has seen the highest number of victims with 113 (21.2%), followed by Selangor (112 or 21%) and Sarawak (92 or 17%). No victims were reported from Perlis.

Victims were predominantly from the Chinese community (531 or 79%), followed by 86 Malays (12%), 32 Ibans (5%) and 18 Indians (3%).

Saifuddin said the ministry viewed the issue seriously, especially as it often involved Malaysian youths.

“The home ministry, through the police, continues to strengthen joint efforts to rescue the victims, cripple the syndicates, and raise public awareness on the threats posed by these criminals,” he said.

He added that cooperation from the public, NGOs, the diplomatic community and the private sector was crucial in the ongoing effort to combat overseas job scam syndicates.

“We welcome all information, complaints and collaboration in order to put an end to these syndicates,” he said.