COIMBATORE: M Rajkumar, the Protector of Emigrants (PoE) for Tamil Nadu and Puducherry said that a trend of cyber slavery is posing a significant risk to educated job seekers from Tamil Nadu. He was speaking during a workshop for journalists conducted at the Press Information Bureau in Coimbatore on Monday.
He said many fraudulent companies are operating near the borders of Cambodia, Laos, and Myanmar and they are referred to as the Golden Triangle. After the pandemic, these operations have become more professional and many of the scam calls we receive originate from these areas.
They lure job seekers through phone calls, and WhatsApp interviews, promising positions in data entry, customer care, and computer-related work. They offer attractive benefits such as high salaries, and free accommodation, and do not require prior experience, which makes these offers appealing to many educated job seekers.
Once selected, employees instruct candidates to enter the country on tourist visas, leading them to approach illegal agents for assistance. Once caught up in this trap, candidates find it difficult to return to India. Some are forced to work under these conditions, fearing the loss of their investments, and soon become cyber slaves, luring others into similar scams, and those who fail to perform as expected also face punishments.”
He added, “This year alone we have rescued over a hundred people with the help of the Indian Embassy. The Tamil Nadu CB-CID police have registered approximately 20 cases and arrested around 30 people in connection with these scams. Additionally, we have identified around 300 illegal recruiting agencies and shared this information with the police for further investigation.”
He further said that those seeking to go abroad for work have to verify the genuineness of their agents by checking if they are licensed through the Ministry of External Affairs website emigrate.gov.in. According to the website, there are 2,961 approved recruiting agents across India of which 273 are in Tamil Nadu.
He also highlighted that these scams often target job seekers through advertisements on social media, and the situation is particularly alarming around Tiruchy district. “We have submitted reports to the headquarters of various social media platforms requesting the removal of these illegal ads. In addition to enforcement actions, we are conducting awareness campaigns regarding the scams. We plan to conduct awareness programmes at the village level since many candidates from rural backgrounds easily fall victim,” he added.
He also recommended that those seeking foreign jobs should only pursue work visas and participate in orientation programmes offered by Pre Departure Orientation Training (PDOT) centres which are available in seven districts.