JAKARTA - Coordinating Minister for Community Empowerment, Abdul Muhaimin Iskandar, warned Indonesians not to jump at overseas job offers.

Speaking in front of students in Bandung on Monday, December 1, on the sidelines of the SMK Go Global workshop, he said that many misleading recruitment pitches—often spread through unverified social media accounts—lead people into illegal or risky placements, including in places like scam centers in Cambodia. 

“Don't get caught up in false promises and trapping choices,” he said, as quoted by state-owned news agency Antara. 

In October 2025, Indonesia’s migrant-worker ministry said 110 Indonesians caught up in an online-scam operation in Cambodia are now safe, with 97 having fled suspected fraud companies and 13 rescued from their workplaces. 

Ninety-nine had earlier been evacuated to a police station and 11 hospitalized, and all 110 are currently being processed at Phnom Penh’s immigration detention center.

Iskandar also said the government will start sending the first batch of SMK Go Global students abroad in mid-December, noting that their training and paperwork are already complete. 

The program taps demand for skilled workers overseas across 17 fields, from welding and hospitality to caregiving and tech. He added that ministries and private partners are being pushed to raise quality standards as the program expands this year and next.