Thai workers in Japan fall victim to job scam, left stranded and penniless

[webfact]

Two Thai workers in Japan contacted the media for help after falling victim to a job scam in which they were lured to Japan with promises of high salaries, only to end up with no work and living in substandard conditions.

 

The victims claim that the job agents, who charged them 150,000 baht (US$4,321) each for the opportunity, have made no effort to help them find jobs or return their money.

 

The victims of the job scam include 42 year old Wasana Suwannakram, and 29 year old Ton, who paid a total of 300,000 baht (US$8,640) to the agent, Ruen, and his wife. After arriving in Japan, they found themselves without work or money to survive, living with other victims in a small room. The workers claimed that they were promised jobs and salaries of at least 50,000 baht (US$1,440) at factories and as technicians, but arrived in Japan to find no such opportunities.

 

“They said there would be good jobs, good accommodation, and salaries between 50,000 and 60,000 baht. But when we got here, there were no jobs,” said Maem, a 45 year old Thai woman who came to Japan in the hopes of earning money to pay off her debts.

 

by Nattapong Westwood

 

Full story: https://thethaiger.com/hot-news/crime/thai-workers-in-japan-fall-victim-to-job-scam-left-stranded-and-penniless

 

-- © Copyright Thaiger 2023-06-21

 

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[hotchilli]

4 hours ago, webfact said:

The victims of the job scam include 42 year old Wasana Suwannakram, and 29 year old Ton, who paid a total of 300,000 baht (US$8,640) to the agent, Ruen, and his wife.

I'm sure they did all the background checks before parting with the money to confirm this was all kosher?

[WHansen]

In a country where the average wage is so very low, it is easy to understand how so many people get caught up in this type of scam.

The promises of a great wage and a better standard of living seems to make some

forget about the risks.

I hope they manage to get their money back from the scum agents.

[webfact]

Thai repatriation: Rescuing nationals caught in Japanese job scam
by Mitch Connor
 

Photo Courtesy of Freepik

 

Efforts are currently underway by the Thai foreign affairs and labour departments to assist in the safe return of six Thai nationals.

 

These labourers were deceived into travelling to Japan under the guise of a fictitious job contract, compelled to undertake illegal work, and then stranded when they declined to take part in these illicit activities. The ongoing efforts are part of Thailand’s repatriation plan.

 

These unfortunate individuals have already been saved by Thai consular officials in a civic precinct of the Ibaraki Prefecture. Currently, they anticipate their Thai repatriation, announced Labour Minister Suchart Chomklin during yesterday’s briefing. He said that they are expected to return to Thailand early next month, Bangkok Post reported.

 

The attention of authorities was drawn to this case when the spouse of one of these unfortunate labourers sought assistance through a Facebook page titled ‘Ban Dung Update’. This page operated from the Ban Dung region within Udon Thani was her platform to reach both the local administrative and labour bodies to probe into her complaint, added Minister Chomklin. The Thai repatriation authorities took notice of this case and started investigating the matter.

Forty-two year old Wasana Suwankhram spoke of her husband, 43 year old Saksit Mankep, who fell prey to a deceptive ploy by an illicit job broker. The broker was identified only as Ms. Ruen. She allured him with a promise of monthly earnings ranging between 50,000 to 100,000 baht in Japan, should he agree to pay her a sum of 150,000 baht upfront as a fee for the job positioning service. Succumbing to the deceit, he paid the fee.

 

Full story: https://thethaiger.com/hot-news/crime/thai-labour-department-aids-stranded-nationals-in-a-japanese-job-scam

 

-- © Copyright Thaiger 2023-06-23

 

- Cigna offers a range of visa-compliant plans that meet the minimum requirement of medical treatment, including COVID-19, up to THB 3m. For more information on all expat health insurance plans click here.