When Angel (name changed) got a job offer as a caregiver in the UK via a recruitment agent, she considered it a ticket to a better life. In return, she had to pay Rs 12 lakh to the Kochi-based agent. After arriving in the UK, however, she came to know that she was cheated. The payment she got from her employer was way less than what was promised by the agent, and the working conditions were also horrible. However, due to her bad financial straits ,angels chose to stick on.

Angel’s is one of the instances of the recruitment agents taking the job aspirants for a ride. The state police registered 795 cases related to visa fraud in 2023, with Ernakulam district coming first. The official documents revealed that most visa frauds were reported from Ernakulam district. As many as 165 cases were registered in the district.

Police sources said most of the recruitment agencies operate from Ernakulam and a few of them were engaged in shady practices. “We have been receiving several complaints against some of the agencies operating out of Ernakulam. Most of them are engaged in job recruitment, while a few are into education consultation,” the sources said. After Ernakulam, Thiruvananthapuram came next in the number of cases. As many as 92 cases were registered in the state capital last year.

Though the plight of the victims often makes headlines, the fraudsters still manage to con people despite awareness campaigns, said a senior official of the NRI cell of the state police. As many as 190 new cases were registered this year till March for visa fraud.

According to the official, the majority of the victims of visa fraud are job seekers and the culprits are now increasingly targeting people, who want to be employed in Europe, the US and the Oceanic countries.

“In the past, the agents targeted those seeking jobs in the Middle East. Now, the fraudsters are mostly after candidates who want to get a job in Europe and countries such as the USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, owing to the big money involved. The agents collect Rs 6 to 16 lakh from them,” the official explained.

The official added that the actual number of victims of visa fraud was much higher than the official statistics. “In many cases, the culprits reach a compromise with the victims and return some portion of the swindled cash,” the official said.