Myanmar migrants in South Korea have been hit with large bills after fraudsters duplicated their ID cards and used them to take out loans and run up other debts in their name.
The Myanmar embassy in Seoul says it is helping 42 people who have fallen prey to the scam and now fear they will be forced to pay off debts worth thousands of US dollars.
The ID cards are issued to all foreign workers in South Korea and are needed to access vital services.
The 42 workers have been charged for phone bills, loans and other services, said Zeya Tin Win Htin, the embassy’s labour attaché.
“We’ve asked them who they have given their ID cards and passports to,” he said.
Zune Nilar, a Myanmar student based in Seoul who is helping the workers file complaints to the police, said the victims are mostly based in Incheon, Gimpo, Hwaseong and Suwon.
Last year South Korean police arrested 16 Korean nationals and one Western foreigner in relation to a similar scam targeting Myanmar migrants, Zeya Tin Win Htin said.
Migrants who have fallen victim to the scam have nothing to worry about as long as they contact the police and their employer gives a statement on their behalf, he added, though he did not confirm whether or not they would be held liable for debts run up in their name.
“They don’t need to be afraid if they didn’t commit a crime,” he said.
Aung Zeya, a 22-year-old Myanmar worker who has been working in South Korea for about a year, fears he will be made to pay for his fraudster’s crime.
He received a letter from a debt collection agency a few months ago asking for 1.8 million won (nearly 2.2 million kyat, or $1,500) for an overdue phone bill, he said. “They said if no one claims responsibility I have to pay. What else can I do but pay it?”
About 35,000 Myanmar nationals work in South Korea under an official government employment permit system, according to the Myanmar embassy.
