Expats on visit-visa ‘falling prey to online scammers’ in Bahrain
TDT | Manama
The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com
Reported by Zahra Ayaz
Online scammers here are skilfully exploiting the inherent desperateness of expatriates by sending phoney WhatsApp messages and offering part-time jobs, says an NRI Council official.
Expats falling prey to these fake companies get exposed to high-risk environments where safety gets a toss. Scammers, the top official says, see this as a golden opportunity, for they are not liable to pay compensation in case of mishaps.
Speaking to The Daily Tribune, Sudheer Thirunilath, Director of Humanitarian Aid, Middle East Region at World NRI Council, said: “The victims mostly are visit visa holders, who come hunting for work.
They write all their contact information on their resume, including email address, and phone number and some even attach a copy of their passport. “Scammers gather and utilise all these for inappropriate and unrelated purposes, like benefit payments, banking, or other online transactions. These scammers are aware that these people will not report them, making the situation worse.
“Many who hold business administration or sales degrees come here looking for a job and settle with 100 to 200 Bahraini dinars job and get stuck.” “Several had fallen into such traps, but none caught.
“It’s time for the government to take some action,” Thirunilath warns, adding that besides sending Whatsapp messages, they are also posting such links on Facebook. “People also get phoney messages from numbers registered with the Um Al Hassam police station.
They read: “You have liked or written some wrong content on social media’ along with a link to the police station address.” “Even if they are innocent, expatriates will get alarmed and try looking for a solution,” Thirunilath added.
“If it goes wrong, workers cannot claim compensation, as they lack legal documents. “Most of the time, they do it verbally, and lack of a visa worsens the situation. “If anyone complains, it will backfire, so, they live in fear of being fined or deported,” our sources said.
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