Kochi, A warning has been issued urging the public to remain vigilant against the rising number of visa fraud cases in Kerala, where people have been scammed out of lakhs of rupees, police said.
The Ernakulam Rural District Police stated that they receive multiple complaints daily from individuals who have fallen victim to visa scams and lost money.
Providing details of the scam, the police, in a statement, said fraudsters are swindling lakhs of rupees from unsuspecting people by falsely promising them jobs in countries such as Europe, Canada, the UK, and New Zealand.
Most victims are initially enticed by misleading advertisements on social media. The fraudsters then claim to have successfully arranged high-paying jobs abroad for many others, luring their targets into believing their promises, the police said.
With their persuasive tactics, the scammers convince victims to pay hefty amounts for registration, processing fees, visa charges, and other expenses. Often, victims never meet the fraudsters in person and only realize they have been deceived when they stop receiving responses after transferring the money, the statement said.
Some of these fraudsters are individuals working abroad who use the social media accounts of people in Kerala to spread misleading advertisements, the police added.
The advertisements usually feature a local contact’s phone number, as they are promised a commission for recruiting candidates. However, the bank account details provided belong to the fraudsters. Once a victim falls into the trap and makes the payment, the overseas fraudster disappears, while the local contact pleads helplessness, police said.
In some cases, victims are taken abroad but are not given the promised jobs, police added.
Last year alone, 172 cases of visa fraud were registered in Ernakulam rural district, and in the first two months of this year, 21 FIRs have already been lodged, the release said.
The police have warned the public to seek employment abroad only through legally authorised institutions and avoid falling prey to fraudulent schemes by paying money to unscrupulous individuals.
This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.