In India, there has recently been a surge in fraudulent travel agencies that promise to send unqualified individuals abroad. Even though a large number of people have been arrested, there are undoubtedly still a large number of people operating fraudulently. Using illegal holiday packages, registration fraud, and psychological mind games, these unscrupulous travel agents run their business.
Illegal immigration occurs when a person leaves his or her country of origin and goes to live in another country in violation of immigration laws. It is an important and delicate matter. Often, young people without jobs who are innocent get caught in the trap of illegal immigration while trying to find employment abroad. Instead of sending a person wishing to travel abroad to the country of his or her choice, unauthorized agents and agencies send him or her to another country. The government has warned people, especially the youth, to be wary of unscrupulous unauthorized travel agencies and agents who deceive them into sending them abroad for work, education, or other reasons. In many of these situations, the life of the person traveling abroad is also at risk. Before making payments, people should contact the travel agencies and companies that have been permitted by the government to travel abroad and ask them all their questions.
People are constantly reminded by the state government to travel abroad only through authorized travel agencies and agents. Many agents who dupe people by pretending to send money abroad are often found to be unregistered. These fraudulent or unapproved agents post and broadcast their advertisements in various media, thereby deceiving the public and causing them to lose their hard-earned money, property, jewelry, and other assets. The number of such cases is comparatively higher in Punjab and Haryana. It is worrying that in the last six years, Haryana has witnessed an annual increase in the number of illegal immigration cases. These cases involve comparatively many rural residents. Travel agencies make promises of employment to lure unemployed people to travel abroad on work and education visas. After making the payment and applying for a visa, the person often finds out that his application has been rejected.
Next, the travel agent recommends the “donkey route.”. Most people involved in this process are stopped at the border, detained, and sent back to India. There are instances where victims are illegally detained by their relatives and forced to pay more than they are owed. Additionally, fake tickets and visas may be provided by the travel agent, which may result in the person being denied air travel. People are sometimes duped by fake job offers and official-looking documents sent through emails, etc. Also, agents may send people to countries like Russia and Ukraine on the false pretext of getting a visa for another country. Anyone can create a website with attractive images of popular tourist destinations and claim to provide tour packages. They can connect with more and more people thanks to social media platforms. In fact, when I looked at the websites of various travel agencies, it became clear to me that most of those websites were fraudulent.
For example, according to one of them, it was founded in 2020 and was the “largest and most experienced travel company in the world.”. I did a lot of research but could not find the names of the company’s owners or partners. It did not even have a landline number. Since such frauds are becoming more common these days, these are some of the warning signs one must consider while choosing an agency. This is why the Travel Trade Division of the Union Ministry of Tourism approves travel agencies in the country. In my opinion, customers should approach agencies approved by the ministry. Although the accreditation program is optional and only a few businesses have opted to participate, customer choice may push more businesses to do so. The public should be wary of these unscrupulous travel agents and should not trust any travel agency without doing proper due diligence.
Every state has posted a list of authorized and unauthorized travel agents on its police website for the convenience of the general public. Also, anyone who still falls prey to such fraud should immediately inform the local police station or helpline. Not only can a person lose all his savings, but even a small act of negligence can endanger the lives of his family. As a result, people should take proper safety measures. Citizens should be aware of such fraudulent immigration activities, not fall prey to false promises of travel agencies offering lucrative job opportunities abroad, especially in Southeast Asian countries, thoroughly check the background of the potential employer, especially when jobs are offered under pretenses, avoid getting involved in any illegal cyber activity, and contact the Indian Embassy.
The Overseas Workers Resource Centre, a one-stop facilitation center set up by the Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India, provides essential support services to individuals wishing to travel abroad for work. In its recognition and revocation scheme, the ministry should prioritize consumer complaints of unfair trade practices and substandard and negligent services against approved service providers. On its portal, it should also include a section for customer complaints.
