China Daily’s new project reveals the hottest topics in Hong Kong for readers, going beyond the headlines. Our first topic explores the growing number of residents who have fallen prey to job scams in Southeast Asia.

1.    Red flags: What are the typical early warning signs?

•    The hype of earning quick money, or high-return, low-threshold job offering

•    Free travel to Southeast Asia

•    Offering generous pay for delivering goods with last-minute changes to destinations in Southeast Asia

•    Grammatical and spelling errors in correspondence

•    Job opportunities that demand money

•    An extended taxi/bus journey from the airport to downtown far in excess of the time estimated on GPS navigation apps

2.    What can you do to protect yourself?

•    Conduct careful research and verify the company’s credentials before responding to any recruitment advertisement. For instance, search for the company’s operation license via governmental or private company databases, the company’s official website, as well as feedback from employees on leading employment-focused service platforms such as LinkedIn.

•    Avoid unofficial communication channels during the interviewing process, in particular, on various social media platforms.

•    Turn down requests to share personal identification documents, financial information, or any money transactions.

•    As a last resort, contact Hong Kong’s immigration department through a 24-hour hotline at (852) 1868, or use the 1868 hotline embedded in the Department’s mobile app. You can also message 1868 on WhatsApp or WeChat.

•    Chinese citizens overseas can receive guidance and assistance from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China, with a 24-hour hotline of the Global Emergency Call Center for Consular Protection and Services available at (86) 10 12308 or (86) 10 65612308.

3.    The scale: How big is the problem?

Currently, 12 Hong Kong residents are still being held captive in Myanmar and Cambodia, with the special administrative region government aiming to bring them back before the Chinese New Year. They were among 28 cases reported since the second quarter of 2024.

According to the Security Bureau, Hong Kong law enforcement logged 46 cases requesting assistance from 2022 through early 2023. The matter quietened down until the second quarter of 2024.

The government established a dedicated task force to handle the issue in August 2022, one month after first cases emerged.

4.    Behind the scenes: How do the scams work?

Employment fraud usually starts with tempting “dream job offers of extraordinarily high remuneration and few requirements for qualifications or work experience.

Once victims take the bait, they will be given flight tickets to Southeast Asian airports, mostly electronic versions, with their passports and mobile phones, immediately confiscated upon arrival.

After being transported to human-trafficking destinations – often “scamming centers” or “fraud factories” like “KK Park” in Myanmar’s Myawaddy, which borders Thailand – victims are usually detained in guarded compounds where they are taught the tactics used in ransom demands or phone scams and forced to engage in such activities targeting their own family members or people in their home country.

Sources: online discussions, articles, and reports of scam cases and related topics, found by Lu Wanqing