Forced into FedEx scam, TN man details harrowing experience in Cambodia

Prakashraj and his mother Shanmugasundari. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangements

At the age of 27, Prakashraj dreamed big. 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 opportunity. The agent asked for ₹1.5 lakh for 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 been lost, only to be replaced by a “computer job” in Cambodia. Mr. Prakashraj had never heard of Cambodia until then, but the agent assured him that the pay would be high, and that there would be no problems. So he went to Cambodia in May 2024.

At a press conference in Chennai organized by the Tamil Nadu Domestic Workers Welfare Association, Mr. Prakashraj narrated the events that unfolded in Cambodia, where he was forced into cyber crime.

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

When Mr. Prakashraj raised concerns, he was told there was no option. Employees were given a list of phone numbers and instructed to call strangers and convince them to send money. He said, ‘The daily goal was to give money to one person.

The punishments were standing in the sun or going without food. Employees were only allowed to use the phone for 10 minutes a day, and were discouraged from calling home.

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

“Who can afford it?” His mother, Shanmugasundari, said that she had to take loans from private lenders at high interest rates.

Finally, Mr. Prakashraj returned home on December 11. Complaints to local police stations led to little action. At a press conference, he said hundreds of Indians were still stranded in Cambodia, many having their passports destroyed by their employers. He has requested the government to take action against the cheating workers.

“This is a big racket. We cannot be sold like cattle,” he added.