The long wait for interview slots and high demand have led to many instances of visa fraud in Kolkata and other parts of the country, the agency that facilitates visa processing for many countries said on Tuesday.
Those applying for visas should apply in advance and also be careful while choosing the website for booking an appointment slot, said an official of VFS Global, which processes visa applications for 52 countries in India.
“Limited appointments coupled with high demand have resulted in visa appointment frauds. Grey operators are impersonating VFS Global and selling appointments,” said Vishal Jairath, head, South Asia, VFS Global.
He said several fake websites and groups on social media have been created to lure visa applicants.
The Telegraph reported earlier this month that a private company on Sarat Bose Road was duped out of around Rs 37,000 while trying to book two Schengen visas online for its executives.
The company tried to do the booking through a website which promised “hassle-free” visas and appeared on top of a list of sites thrown up by a search engine.
The official who was trying to book the visas had uploaded the passport details,
date of birth and other personal details of the two executives, who were to fly to Germany, on the website before making the payment through a link that was provided on the website.
“Visa applicants are advised to be aware of fraudulent entities who charge fees from customers for scheduling appointments or providing any other services using VFS Global’s name or independently. VFS Global does not charge any fee for booking appointments on www.vfsglobal.com, which is the official website catering to visa applicants,” said Jairath of VFS Global.
Some governments require pre-payment of the service fee while booking an appointment but that is either reimbursed or deducted during the application process, Jairath said.
Applying for visas in advance, he said, can tackle the problem. Most countries accept visa applications up to 90 days before the date of travel. According to the revised Schengen Visa Code, effective from February 2, 2020, one can apply for a visa up to six months before the date of travel.
Police said in the past few months they had received complaints of people clicking son fraudulent links for booking visa appointments and then realising that they had been cheated. “At times there is no financial loss because victims realise these are not genuine websites,” said an officer of Kolkata police. The police said people tend to look for a shortcut to book visa appointments by clicking on any random link that appears after an online search.
“Fraudsters manipulate search engines and ensure that the fraudulent websites appear on top of the list.”
The officer said many people who apply for a visa are not even aware that the bookings can be made only through a particular agency. By clicking on fraudulent links, the applicants become vulnerable to online fraud.