12 Tips For Migrant Students To Avoid Job Scams Abroad

There are plenty of options for students to migrate to foreign countries. Here are 12 Tips for migrant students to avoid job scams abroad.

Searching for new jobs or advancing one career is a hard process these days. There are plenty of options for students to migrate to foreign countries. Student loans have given the best options for students and even housewives to migrate for better employment opportunities, but the number of traps has risen significantly.

The increased availability of loans has helped many students to study abroad, especially those who are from middle-class families to pursue their dreams, but at the same time, these students are getting scammed, and betrayed by consultants and agencies who gave false promises.

Some of them were threatened that they would be deported if they complained. Slowly, they are getting to know the true colours of these agencies that put them in a trap. Either they fall into the hands of scammers, or they are betrayed by the agencies who promise to fulfil their dreams.

Scammers find different means to trap employees!

Online telephone and fake employment letters are offered. They charge a security deposit and interview fees before scheduling the interview. Some fraudulent disappear after receiving money.

Fake websites, duplicate websites of job portals, and government departments are created to target candidates. Some agencies charge a large sum of money, offering jobs in multinational companies. As soon as they receive money, they just vanish.

Women migrants are more vulnerable!

Another way of trapping is blackmailing or harassing women. These women employees are subjected to harassment most of the time by their employers and are kept in illegal custody for even up to five years. This is mostly seen outside India, employers try to withhold their passports, and these employees have no other option other than to languish in the country they are residing in.

There are women sufferers whose stories are hidden from the world. Especially housemaids who are living abroad, and few students have come forward to address their employment grievances with the Indian embassies.

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Another risk is- migrating students are facing exploitation while looking for part-time jobs. To meet expenses, these students are forced to do such jobs. Some of them are hardly paid for the extra hours they worked.

Tips for migrant students to avoid job scams abroad

• Do not send your details without verifying the company and its credentials. For example, your ID card, Aadhaar details, passport details, or bank details. Only send copies, and make sure that you keep a note of the agent’s contact details.
• Do not send copies of your certificates and personal documents via personal e-mail. Do not give this information during telephone interviews. Submit information on the company’s e-mail address only, or submit it directly to the employer when asked during the interview process. After attending interviews, do necessary follow-ups.
• Do not respond to any personal e-mail addresses like Yahoo or Gmail. Check the e-mail address of the company carefully before responding. Also, beware of duplicate websites and e-mail addresses.
• If any placement consultant is asking for an advanced fee, especially for registration or verification, it’s better not to respond. If they told you to sign an agreement and pay later, then the agency is a genuine one. Do not pay a huge sum promising a job or pay an advance deposit.
• For Indians going abroad, do not give your original passport and certificates to the employer. There are cases where the employer will keep these documents and will not return them to the employee. Try to give copies of documents only. The original documents should only be given to them for verification, and not for them to keep in their custody.
• Online job portals should be verified carefully. Try to ask as many questions as possible, like your job responsibilities and how the company functions, instead of giving your details to them. Do thorough research before starting any assignments.
• Read the offer letter, the designation mentioned, and the period of employment carefully before signing.
• Be careful while filling in an attachment or link from employment agencies. It’s always better to visit the employment agency or do research before responding to them. Some employment agencies don’t even exist. Many candidates were scammed through telephonic conversations.
• Scammers will try to chat on WhatsApp or Facebook Messenger, so be careful. Try your best not to respond to these messages. It’s always better not to disclose your Facebook profile and WhatsApp contact.
• At the workplace, if there are issues, or you suspect there is an issue, try to bring out these issues with the HR department or local authorities by providing necessary evidence and proof.
• If you are living abroad, try to contact Indian embassies if there is severe harassment. Always keep in contact with friends and relatives. Speak to them openly, so they can help you in emergencies.
• Lastly, be careful while applying for part-time or work-from-home jobs. There are genuine companies who pay for the freelance jobs done, at the same time there are scammers, too. For doing this kind of work, you must be prepared to face the consequences. Do not give advance security deposits or huge amounts before taking up the assignments.

Scammers will cleverly betray and cheat people who are desperately in need of jobs. Some good platforms will train you with their pieces of software and provide you with all the assistance, but you just need to be careful when they request you to pay for all the unnecessary fees while taking up their assignments. It is always better to ask for a written agreement or read their terms and agreements before taking up the job.

No matter what kind of job you choose, you need to be aware of the consequences, persistent, and proactive.

Image source: intellistudieos, free and edited on CanvaPro

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