KOCHI: Kerala Cyber Police have launched an investigation into social media advertisements offering taxi driver jobs in Cambodia after receiving complaints that the campaigns may be linked to cybercrime syndicates recruiting Indians for online fraud operations abroad.
Sources said the probe was initiated following complaints received by the state home department from some NRIs who noticed suspicious overseas job advertisements being promoted through influencer platforms and social media pages.
Investigators are examining whether certain social media influencers and online agents knowingly or unknowingly helped promote the job advertisements by portraying them as legitimate overseas employment opportunities. The advertisements promise salaries ranging from Rs 55,000 to Rs 75,000, overtime benefits and quick visa processing.
Police officials said the offers themselves raise serious legal and logistical concerns. “Under Cambodian labour laws, commercial driving and taxi operations are generally reserved for Cambodian nationals. Foreigners are not eligible for work permits in such categories,” an officer associated with the investigation said.
Officials also pointed out that obtaining a local commercial driving licence in Cambodia requires language proficiency and residency status that newly recruited migrant workers are unlikely to possess.
“Cambodia already has sufficient local drivers. Large-scale foreign recruitment for taxi services is neither economically nor legally viable,” another senior official said.
Sources said the cyber police are also examining whether some influencers who shared the Cambodia job advertisements were aware of the alleged fraud behind the offers.
“Many influencers share job advertisements on their social media pages in return for payment without fully realising the fraud strategy behind them,” a senior police officer said.
Police said the scamsters, through such seemingly minor overseas job offers, are targeting youngsters desperately searching for employment opportunities by exploiting unemployment and the lure of quick earnings abroad.
“Many youngsters see these advertisements as genuine foreign job opportunities. But in several cases, victims end up trapped in illegal cyber fraud operations after reaching the destination country,” an officer said. Officials said the full extent of the recruitment network and the scale of the scam are currently under investigation.
Police said several victims in similar overseas job scams have allegedly ended up trapped in cyber fraud centres operated by organised crime syndicates. In reported cases, passports and travel documents were allegedly confiscated upon arrival, forcing recruits to work in illegal call centres and online scam operations.
The complaint received by the cyber police states that the fake job offers may be part of a broader human trafficking and forced labour network targeting unemployed youths through social media platforms. Investigators have also received screenshots of advertisements claiming that Indian driving licences can quickly be converted into international driving permits for employment in Cambodia.
Police have advised job seekers to verify overseas employment offers through authorised recruitment agencies and official embassy channels.
“People should avoid trusting advertisements that promise unusually high salaries, immediate visa approvals or jobs that appear legally restricted in the destination country,” officials said.
