Offered Workshop Job, Batam Resident Trapped as Scam Operator in Cambodia

BATAM, KOMPAS.com - Muhammad Sahrizal (28), a resident of Batam, Riau Islands, said he went to Cambodia to work in a workshop but was instead placed as an online scam operator.

Currently, Sahrizal along with four other Batam residents remain in Phnom Penh, awaiting assistance to return to Indonesia.

Sahrizal explained that they lack the funds to go back home.

"Our problem at the shelter is that we want to go home. Because we don't have a single cent left," he said when contacted by Tribun Batam on Friday (18/9/2026).

He emphasized that their only desire now is to return to Indonesia.

"We are asking to go home. Just go home," he added.

Initially worked in a workshop

Sahrizal first traveled to Cambodia in 2022 through an individual agent he found via his ex-wife.

At that time, he worked in a workshop and claimed he had no significant issues.

"Regarding work at the workshop, the salary was secure, no deductions," he stated.

After briefly returning to Batam, Sahrizal went back to Cambodia on May 29, 2024.

His intention then was to continue and finish the previous work contract.

However, according to him, the job he received was different.

"The initial offer was indeed for the workshop. I worked in a workshop in Batam. We originally worked in a workshop, but when I arrived here, it turned into a scam," Sahrizal said.

He admitted he was unaware from the start that he would be placed in work related to online fraud.

Sahrizal said he was later assigned as a scam operator.