Rahul.R@timesofindia.comAs stricter immigration policies in traditional destinations such as the UK, Canada and Australia push job seekers towards non-English-speaking European countries, fraudsters are exploiting the shift through fake overseas recruitment schemes.Data accessed by TOI from the district crime records bureau shows that more than 70 complaints related to overseas job visa fraud were reported across Thiruvananthapuram district in 2025. Around 25 complaints were registered between Jan and May this year alone. The number of such cases stood at 15 in 2021, 17 in 2022 and 20 in 2023, before surging to 59 in 2024.Police sources said most cases have been registered under Sections 318(4) and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, relating to cheating and offences committed by multiple persons acting with common intention.Victims, mostly aged between 20 and 40, include nurses, lab technicians, plumbers, drivers, cleaners and other skilled and semi-skilled workers. Students who recently completed school have also fallen prey. Losses range from Rs 3 lakh to Rs 10 lakh per victim.Rahul VI, a criminal lawyer practising at the high court, said the scam typically begins with social media advertisements offering nursing and other skilled job vacancies in European countries. Interested candidates are then contacted over WhatsApp by agents who claim to be based in Europe and operating recruitment offices in Kerala.“Victims are made to believe they are dealing with genuine overseas recruitment agencies. They are put through online interviews on platforms such as Google Meet and later receive emails informing them they have been selected,” he said.A second contact then approaches the victim seeking money for visa processing, work permits and other formalities. To appear credible, fraudsters issue offer letters modelled on genuine employment documents and use accounts in nationalised banks for transactions.“Many victims transfer large sums believing their travel is being arranged. After collecting the money, the recruiters repeatedly postpone departures citing various reasons. Eventually, all communication stops, phone numbers go dead and the offices listed in the documents turn out to be non-existent,” Rahul said.Tracing accused persons and recovering money remain the biggest challenges, police said, as many of these networks operate from remote locations in northern India.“Most scammers function through chains of agents and intermediaries, making it difficult to identify the masterminds. Often, only a small core group knows the full scope of the operation, while those dealing directly with victims may be unaware of it. The interstate nature of these crimes further complicates arrests and recovery,” a district crime branch official said.
