As Indians chasing 'quick money dream' fall prey to scams, experts call for job creation at home

Amid the Lok Sabha elections in India, citizens who fell prey to job scams in Cambodia are demanding more jobs. Over the past few months, news of Indians being rescued from online cryptocurrency scam rings has come to light.

These Indian citizens, as per reports, were duped into travelling abroad by promises of salaries much higher than what they could get in their home country.

'Quick money dreams'

Even as India boasts of one of the fastest-growing economies, the nation has failed to offer jobsand accommodate its large youth population.This, experts warn, creates a fertile ground for scammers to use social media to lure young people to travel abroad for jobs.

In a conversation with the Thompson Reuters Foundation, Dhanya Menon, managing director of Avanzo Cyber Security Solutions in India, explained that "Youngsters feel there are better offers abroad. They get so tempted by the sum offered they don't do any kind of cross-checking."

"They chase the quick money dream," he added.

A United Nations report showed that last year, more than 100,000 people globally were trafficked into online scam centres in Cambodia.

Every year, thousands of people, most of them with technical skills, get lured by advertisements on social media platforms promising well-paid jobs in countries like Cambodia, Laos, and Myanmar. More often than not, they find themselves forced to be a part of scams to fraud strangers worldwide via the internet.

In conversation with Thompson Reuters Foundation, a victim of the scam, a 41-year-old man, identified only as Sahu revealed that he was offered the chance to earn $900 a month in Vietnam as a data entry operator with free meals and accommodation last June. The man who was earning only a fraction of this in India jumped at the opportunity.

"I started imagining a great future," he said.

"Even though my family members insisted I shouldn't go, I felt relieved when I got this offer," said Sahu. He revealed that he hoped it would help him to pay off his debts of 350,000 rupees ($4,190).

Once he arrived in Vietnam, he was smuggled into neighbouring Cambodia. His passport was taken from him, and he was lodged in a tiny room, where he was given food only once a day and was forced to scam people online.

(With inputs from agencies)