Cyber scams: 67 Indians rescued from Cambodia, 39 back home, says embassy

“On 22 September, following specific leads by the Embassy, the Cambodian Police has rescued 67 such Indian nationals from Poipet,” it said through a post on X, adding that in close cooperation with the Cambodian Police, they were now facilitating the repatriation of these 67 Indian nationals in batches.

“Fifteen of our nationals have already left for India on September 30, and 24 more have left on October 1. Rest 28 will reach India in the course of next few days,” it said.

However, the embassy also reiterated its advisory to Indian nationals “to exercise extreme caution in taking up job opportunities in Cambodia and other Southeast Asian countries through suspicious agents and social media advertisements”.

Indian nationals who are currently stuck in such activities and wish to return to India may get in touch with the Indian Embassy, it said.

Since January 2022, the Embassy of India in Phnom Penh has facilitated the repatriation of over 1,000 Indian citizens, with nearly 770 in the first nine months of 2024. This was possible with the cooperation extended by the Cambodian authorities, the embassy noted.

The cyber scam in Cambodia involves deceiving Indian nationals with promises of legitimate employment opportunities, typically in data entry roles. However, upon arrival, they are coerced into participating in illegal cyber activities, such as creating fake social media profiles and engaging in fraudulent schemes to scam unsuspecting individuals. As many as 5,000 Indians have been duped in such scams in Cambodia.

As reported by The Indian Express, 29,466 of the 73,138 Indians who travelled to Cambodia, Thailand, Myanmar and Vietnam on visitor visas from January 2022 to May 2024 are yet to return. More than half (17,115) of these are in the 20-39 years age group; 21,182 are men and over one-third are from three states — Punjab (3,667), Maharashtra (3,233) and Tamil Nadu (3,124). Thailand accounts for over 69 per cent of the total at 20,450, as per Bureau of Immigration figures.