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WHAT began as a seemingly simple job offer to work as a clerk in Singapore turned into a terrifying ordeal for Nur Elisha, 23, who found herself trafficked to Cambodia and forced to work for a scam syndicate.
Elisha, a diploma graduate in Office Management from Johor Bahru, was approached by an old acquaintance in November last year with the promise of a stable income and accommodation. Believing it was a chance to support her family and improve her life, she accepted.
“She said it was a clerical job in Singapore, no interviews required, everything was arranged. At the time, all I could think about was work. I never imagined I was being tricked,” Elisha told Buletin TV3.
Her journey began at Changi Airport but instead of a Singaporean office, she was driven across borders and ended up in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Upon arrival, she was taken to a heavily guarded compound and, the next day, was coerced into signing a contract written in Mandarin.
“I had never flown before. They said this was a company holiday before work began. But the next day, I was put straight to work — as a scammer,” she said.
Elisha was told that failure to meet daily scam targets could result in being ‘sold’ to another company in Laos or Myanmar — both described to her as far more brutal. “They said, if the boss thinks you’re a loss, you’ll be sold. The new place is worse. People get beaten, electrocuted. I was the only woman there. I was terrified,” she recalled.
Trained to memorise and recite scam scripts in Malay, Elisha was made to communicate with victims while her head was placed inside a box — part of the syndicate’s method of dehumanising and controlling workers.
She described severe emotional distress, constant panic attacks and suicidal thoughts.
“There came a point when I called my mother and said I wanted to jump off a building. I couldn’t take it anymore,” she said.
Her supposed salary started at 35,000 Thai Baht at the first company, later rising to USD 800 at the second. However, much of it was deducted as ‘fines’ for failing to scam a quota of three victims per day.
“I was fined so much I ended up with nothing. Once, I earned money but lost it all to penalties. I was made to eat chillies. Some days, the pressure was so bad I couldn’t function,” she added.
One particular incident left her deeply disheartened. “It was the night before Hari Raya. They told us we could go home. I’d already bought clothes. But it was a lie. The boss suddenly said no one could leave. Everyone cried. I cried calling my mum,” she said.
Eventually, many of the trapped workers managed to escape. Elisha was among the last five left behind, only to be sold again — this time to a harsher operator.
“That boss used to walk behind us with a taser. The sound alone gave me trauma. A kind boss who once helped me was fired. Replaced by a Taiwanese boss who didn’t understand our language — even more brutal,” she said.
Elisha was eventually rescued with the help of her mother, the Malaysian Humanitarian Organisation (MHO), the Malaysian embassy, and Cambodian authorities. She returned home through Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA), deeply affected but safe.
Her story is a stark reminder of the cruel deception and exploitation at the heart of modern human trafficking. - July 31, 2025
