Govt recommends prosecution in online job scams, urges website blocks

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar told the Lok Sabha on Friday that his ministry has requested for blocking certain websites offering fraudulent jobs abroad and also recommended for the prosecution of those involved in such scams.

Responding to supplementaries, Jaishankar said the government has brought back 1,167 Indians from Cambodia and another 497 from Myanmar, who were taken there on the pretext of getting them jobs.

He said people are made to work illegally by those running such online scams.

"In India, we have requested for the blocking of sites which promote such jobs. We have recommended prosecution in certain cases for people who have been involved in this," the minister said during the Question Hour.

He said a "different set of problems" have been raised for West Asia, the Gulf and the Middle East, "where we have a situation" of under-payment or non-payment of wages and maltreatment of Indian professionals and workers.

Jaishankar asserted that the Indian embassies are very active and carry out regular reviews.