Visakhapatnam:

 Unemployed youth of Andhra Pradesh are falling prey to international cyber fraud gangs, particularly Chinese syndicates, who lure them into going abroad with false promises of high-paying jobs.

Once the youth land on foreign soil, they are trained on online fraud and subjected to severe torture if they refuse to comply. Police have uncovered disturbing details on the modus operandi of such gangs with recent cases emerging from countries like Cambodia and Taiwan. In the last year alone, 78 victims from Andhra Pradesh were rescued from Chinese-run fraud centres in Cambodia.

Job offers that lead to crime:

* Attractive salaries of up to Rs 80,000 per month are promised to the youth.

* Victims are told educational qualification is not required, making the offer appealing to a wider group.

* Around Rs 1.5 lakh is collected from each job seeker for visas and other formalities.

* Youth are sent to countries like Cambodia and Taiwan under the guise of legal data entry jobs.

From training to torture, once abroad, the reality changes:

* Victims are trained on cyber fraud techniques including creating fake identities and running cryptocurrency scams.

* If they resist, they face physical torture and threats.

* Passports are confiscated and victims are forced to pay large sums for their release.

* Those who can’t pay are threatened with false legal charges or jail time.

Local networks fuel the scam:

Agents in cities like Visakhapatnam and Hyderabad play a key role in recruiting unsuspecting youth. In one case, agents from Gajuwaka used social media ads to lure job seekers who were later sent to Cambodia and sold to Chinese gangs. Another youth from Visakhapatnam was recently trafficked to Taiwan but managed to escape and report the incident to Cyberabad Police. Some trained individuals who managed to return to India continue to use their skills for online fraud: Sairam and Suryamohan from Visakhapatnam provided 1,258 bank accounts and numerous SIM cards to cyber criminals.

At least 470 bank accounts were opened in Visakhapatnam alone, enabling crores of rupees to be illegally transferred to China. In one case, a woman from Tirupati was extorted using the tactic of a 'digital arrest', with the culprits traced back to the same fraud networks. Authorities have urged job seekers to verify overseas job offers thoroughly and remain cautious of suspicious advertisements. “If the offer seems too good to be true, it probably is,” warned officials, stressing the importance of awareness in preventing such crimes. Police are actively working to dismantle the local networks aiding the international scams.