With borders slowly reopening for Indians after months-long closures owing to the pandemic, particularly student visa applications being submitted for various countries are at volumes higher than ever before.
With this higher demand for visa application appointments, VFS Global has continually faced the issue of scammers posing as employees or associates of the organisation and embezzling innocent customers.
Misusing VFS Global’s trusted name in the visa space, such scammers lure unsuspecting aspirants with the false promise of overseas settlement. An all-too-frequent modus operandi involves a scammer using new software and other technology to clone VFS Global’s web page and mask their phone numbers, so it appears that the call has indeed come from an official VFS Global line. The victim is then asked to verify the number on the official website, leading him/her to further believe the caller.
Touts could also reach out to customers via chat apps, offering simple assistance such as booking an appointment slot to apply for a visa at a VFS Global centre at an additional fee.
VFS Global does not charge customers for appointments to submit applications. All appointments are available online on a first-come-first-served basis completely free of cost.
No VFS Global employee or third party can assure an appointment based on payment. With the increasing number of incidents, and recognising the need for more awareness, several client governments have started issuing warnings and advisories on possible scams related to visa services. Most recently, the British High Commission initiated awareness advisories highlighting frauds. The High Commission of Canada, too, has published notices through VFS Global informing customers that biometric enrolment appointments are free of charge.
Walter J. Lindner, German Ambassador to India, recently took to Twitter to appeal to customers waiting for services to resume, for their continued cooperation and patience.
Pranav Sinha, Head – South Asia, VFS Global, said, “We understand anxieties engulfing students and parents with the reopening of international borders. With high demand for student visas, it is also important for our customers to be wary of miscreants looking to take advantage of this peak demand period. VFS Global urges prospective students to beware of such malpractices. VFS Global is taking all necessary and proactive measures to accommodate students visas as per directives from the respective Embassy / Consulate.”
