MEA issues warning against online job offers by dubious foreign IT firms
India has so far rescued 32 Indian nationals who were taken to a remote part of Myanmar on the pretext of lucrative IT jobs
India on Saturday issued an advisory warning its nationals about fake job offers floated on social media platforms following the case of more than 100 workers being lured to Myanmar by dubious IT firms.
Authorities have so far rescued 32 Indian nationals who were taken to a remote part of Myanmar on the pretext of lucrative IT jobs. The Indian side is working with Thailand and Myanmar to help up to 60 others believed to be stranded in the same region.
The ministry of external affairs (MEA) said in a statement that the country’s missions in Thailand and Myanmar had detected instances of “fake job rackets offering lucrative jobs to entice Indian youths for the posts of ‘Digital Sales and Marketing Executives’ in Thailand”. These rackets are being operated by “dubious IT firms” involved in call-centre scams and crypto-currency fraud.
“Therefore, Indian nationals are advised not to get entrapped in such fake job offers being floated through social media platforms or other sources,” the statement said.
The dubious firms usually target “IT skilled youth who are duped in the name of lucrative data entry jobs in Thailand through social media advertisements as well as by Dubai and India based agents”.
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“The victims are reportedly taken across the border illegally, mostly into Myanmar and held captive to work under harsh conditions,” the ministry said.
Before travelling on tourist or visit visas for employment purposes, Indian nationals should check and verify the credentials of foreign employers through missions abroad. They should also check the antecedents of recruiting agents and any company before taking up a job offer.
Most of the Indians lured by the Thailand-based firms were illegally taken across the border to Myawaddy area of Myanmar, which is difficult to access because of the local security situation. Some reports have suggested that up to 300 Indian workers may have been illegally taken to the Myawaddy area, but this could not be independently verified.
The Indian embassies in Thailand and Myanmar have already issued advisories about the scam, and the Indian side has taken up the matter with both countries.
While 32 Indian nationals have been helped out of an area in Myanmar with restricted access, the embassies in Myanmar and Thailand are in touch with 50 to 60 more Indians who have sought help.
People familiar with the matter said the fraught security situation along the Thailand-Myanmar border had facilitated the activities of the companies that lured the Indians. Most of the workers had rudimentary computer skills, and had no inkling that they would be forcibly taken across the Thai border to Myanmar, the people said.