Coerced into FedEx scam, T.N. man details harrowing Cambodia experience

Prakashraj's journey from India to Cambodia for a job turns into a nightmare of coercion and cybercrime.

At 27, Prakashraj had big dreams. An M.Com graduate from Paramakudi, a small town in Ramanathapuram, he saw a job abroad as his ticket to a better life. When a local agent promised him an opportunity in Dubai, it seemed like the perfect chance. The agent asked for ₹1.5 lakh to process the job, and Mr. Prakashraj eagerly agreed, asking his mother to arrange the money.

But soon, the agent called again to say the Dubai opportunity had fallen through, but was replaced by “computer work” in Cambodia. Mr. Prakashraj had never heard of Cambodia until then, but the agent reassured him that the salary would be higher, and there would be no problems. So, he set off to Cambodia in May 2024.

At a press conference in Chennai organised by the Tamil Nadu Domestic Workers Welfare Association, Mr. Prakashraj detailed the events that unfolded in Cambodia, where he was coerced into cybercrime.

He was driven from Thailand without a work visa, only receiving a one-month tourist visa. “I was handed a contract in Chinese. When I asked for an English version, they said there wasn’t one,” he recalled. Then came a script he quickly recognised as part of an online scam — convincing people to wire money for fake FedEx deliveries.

When Mr. Prakashraj raised concerns, he was told there was no choice. Employees were given a list of phone numbers and instructed to call strangers and persuade them to send money. “The daily target was to get one person to wire money,” he said.

Punishments included standing in the sun or going without food. Employees were allowed just 10 minutes of phone use a day, and calls home were discouraged.

Mr. Prakashraj could not manage to send money. Frustrated, he complained until he was let go. He asked his mother to book a flight, but at the airport, he was stopped. His visa was invalid, and he faced a ₹2,50,000 fine for overstaying.