However, he told the Dewan Rakyat he could not reveal why the victims did not want to return.

Saifuddin said some of the victims were lured by the syndicates while on holiday abroad, having been promised lucrative salaries.

“The communications and multimedia ministry has also started sending out messages warning Malaysians about these job scam syndicates,” he said in response to a question by Fasiah Fakeh (PN-Sabak Bernam).

He said 261 Malaysians stranded in Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, and Thailand have been rescued so far. A total of 171 have been brought back to Malaysia while the rest are waiting to be repatriated.

Saifuddin also denied claims that more than 3,000 job scam victims have yet to be tracked down, saying the number might have included old figures from when he first served as foreign minister between 2018 and 2020.

Saifuddin also said he hoped Budget 2023 would provide a bigger allocation to his ministry, specifically to help about 2,500 Malaysians who were either being detained or stranded overseas.

He said the previous allocation was insufficient, especially for the purpose of visiting Malaysians who were being detained at various locations to ensure that they were healthy and safe.