Mumbai, June 30: The Indian Cybercrime Coordination Centre posted a warning on X on Monday, June 30, about a rising Laos Job Scam targeting Indian nationals. The post, captioned “A dream job in Laos… or a cybercrime trap?”, included a 48-second video explaining the modus operandi behind these fraudulent job offers. The video cautions job seekers about fake high-paying roles in Laos, where victims are lured abroad, their passports seized, and forced into cybercrime activities under threat of physical abuse and imprisonment risks that can lead to up to 18 years in jail.

The video posted by CyberDost begins with a chilling message: “PLANNING LAOS AS YOUR NEXT JOB DESTINATION? A message. A visa. A salary too good to be true.” It goes on to warn that the dream job is often a trap, where victims land in Laos and lose not just their passports but also their freedom. The Indian Embassy in Vientiane has issued an advisory cautioning against such offers, revealing that agents from cities like Dubai, Bangkok, and India are involved in these recruitment scams. What is a Work-From-Home Scam? Know How to Spot and Avoid This Remote Job Fraud?

CyberDost Alerts Indians About Laos Job Scam

In most cases, Indian youth are recruited under the pretext of roles like digital marketing or customer service. However, once in Laos, victims are then trafficked into the Golden Triangle Special Economic Zone, where they are forced to work under harsh conditions for criminal syndicates involved in call-centre scams and cryptocurrency fraud. So far, the Indian Embassy has rescued over 1,500 Indians, though many are still trapped. ‘Job Hai’: Recruitment Racket Using Fake App Busted in Delhi; Police Recover 100 Resumes, Aadhaar Cards.

One such case involved a 19-year-old boy from Hyderabad who was promised an INR 1.2 lakh monthly salary for a data entry job abroad and trafficked via Thailand into Laos, as reported by the Times of India. Once there, he was forced to create fake social media profiles to dupe NRIs into crypto scams. Held in a three-storey facility with others, he endured mental and physical torture before managing to escape. With help from locals and the Indian Embassy, he returned home in April this year.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 30, 2025 05:40 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).