Ministry of Foreign Affairs Issues Travel Warnings for Certain Regions Near the Cambodian Border
As awareness of large-scale fraud crimes in Cambodia grows in South Korea, it has been reported that Japan has also issued warnings to its citizens visiting Cambodia regarding employment agency scams and similar fraudulent activities.
According to the overseas safety website of the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs on October 19, Japan has issued a "recommendation to avoid all travel" for certain regions of Cambodia that border Thailand. The rest of Cambodia has been classified as requiring "considerable caution."
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs divides risk information into four levels, listed in order of severity: "evacuation advisory," "recommendation to avoid all travel," "recommendation to avoid non-essential travel," and "considerable caution."
The Ministry appears to have been warning about "employment agency scams" in Cambodia for several years. The Ministry emphasized, "Recently, there have been numerous cases where people are lured overseas with promises of 'high earnings in a short period' or 'simple translation work,' only to have their passports and means of communication confiscated immediately upon arrival in Cambodia. The victims are then confined and forced to engage in illegal activities such as phone scams."
The Ministry further warned, "There are not a few cases where both the victims and perpetrators are foreigners. If you are considering employment in Cambodia through an introduction from an acquaintance or others, you must verify the credibility of the workplace and whether safety is ensured."
The Embassy of Japan in Cambodia posted a similar notice on its website in August 2022, three years ago. However, scam cases based in Cambodia continue to persist.
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