Beware of sweet nothings and empty promises made by foreign men to avoid being involved in vice and crime activities, Malaysian women are cautioned.

NONE Women, Family and Community Development Minister Shahrizat Abdul Jalil said Malaysian women should think rationally when approached by foreign men who had become increasingly bold in luring women with romance, only to use them later as drug mules.

"I get worried when I read statistics on crime cases involving foreigners who lured women into vice or criminal activities.

"I urge them to be careful, especially when they are asked to go overseas," she told reporters after launching the Jalinan Bestari programme in Sabah today.

Duped by drug syndicates

Shahrizat was commenting on Deputy Foreign Minister A Kohilan Pillay's statement that many young Malaysian women, including degree holders, had been fooled and used by foreign drug syndicates.

He said currently, 1,565 Malaysians including women were serving their prison sentences abroad for various offences, whereby in some countries the number of incarcerated Malaysian women exceeded that of men.

For instance, out of the 15 Malaysians imprisoned in Peru, South America, 12 are women. - Bernama