TNN
Bangalore, Apr 20: Forget Nigerian email frauds. Unsuspecting Indian engineering graduates are falling prey to a new racket offering jobs in the UK.
The modus operandi is simple. The racketeers scan through resumes posted on job portals and send proposals to `eligible' candidates, especially freshers. They also conduct telephonic and video interviews with the candidates who respond to the offer.
After a few days, they send an offer letter to the candidates and ask them to pay Rs 75,000 as `upfront' charges. Once the money is transferred to a specific bank account, the candidate receives `BHC visa payment receipt', `UK work permit' as well as a `query letter' from British Deputy Commission, Mumbai. The company asks for another Rs 75,000 as processing fee. Once that's paid, there is no response from the other side. It's then that the candidate realizes he has been duped.
An official in the British trade office laughs at the possibility of offers, saying: "There is a severe job scarcity in the UK. I see little chance of companies scouting for high-skilled labour in India."
Vaishali (name changed) went through both processes of recruitment and realized she was cheated. She has lodged a complaint. The case of Krishna Murthy is different. A fresh mechanical engineering graduate, Krishna Murthy got a job offer in State Oil Company, United Kingdom. He paid the initial upfront charges, but grew suspicious when the placement company asked for an additional amount of Rs 75,000. He wanted the money back, but the contact was lost since then. The site PDVSA, through which the letter allegedly came, belongs to a Venezuela-based oil company.
Krishna Murthy's advocate Murali Mohan said he had received a couple of such cases. "They had registered themselves with job portals and were either just out of college or had been issued pink slips. It's not easy to get back the money. Even if a complaint is lodged, it will be difficult for the local police to investigate the case till it reaches a logical end. The only way is to be cautious."