The United Nations agency dedicated to migration, the International Organization for Migration (IOM), has issued a warning to individuals seeking employment abroad, particularly those from Nigeria aspiring to work in the United Kingdom. The IOM has identified a fraudulent operation that deceives job seekers by supplying them with counterfeit job offers.
In 2023, the IOM reported that a significant number of Nigerians, tallying over 260,000, reached out to the organization for advice on safe and legal migration channels, in addition to seeking health assessments before their departure. However, it has come to light that approximately 1,000 Nigerians have found themselves in a precarious situation in the UK. These individuals, who were granted visas based on these sham job offers, arrived at their supposed places of employment only to discover that the organizations had no knowledge of the offers, leaving them without the promised employment.
The IOM's Chief of Mission, Mr Laurent De Boeck, during a press briefing in Nigeria's capital, Abuja, highlighted the severity of the issue. He revealed instances where individuals were duped into paying upwards of $10,000 for these fictitious job confirmations. Upon arrival in the UK, the victims were turned away by the employers, who confirmed that the job letters were not issued by their organizations.
De Boeck further elaborated on the efforts of the IOM to facilitate the return of stranded individuals, including Nigerians, from countries like Tunisia, which has recently imposed restrictions on migration. The IOM is actively collaborating with countries such as Italy to create legitimate migration opportunities for qualified Nigerian candidates. Plans are also underway to extend these efforts to include partnerships with other European nations like Spain, Belgium, and France, aiming to establish authorized migration pathways and prevent future incidents of fraud.
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