The Abu Dhabi Police on Sunday said bogus recruitment agents are promising jobs at reputable companies to collect money and cheat those in desperate situations. “Fraudsters who advertise non-existent jobs on social media and fake websites are taking advantage of the current Covid-19 situation where many people have lost their jobs,” said the police.
“The scammers, disguising themselves as recruitment agents, advertise jobs online claiming that they are recruiting for certain firms looking for workers,” said officers.
“Jobseekers realise they were conned after not being able to secure jobs despite paying the agent’s commission fees.
Some scammers target jobseekers outside the country, added the police. “The public has to be cautious as professional fraudsters can operate in all forms to cheat people,” police said in a statement.
People need to verify the sources of job advertisements online before making any payments to avoid being cheated, they added.
The UAE law punishes people convicted of online crimes with jail sentences of not less than a year and not exceeding three years and fines ranging from Dh250,000 to Dh1 million.
The police urged the public to report online fraudsters or anyone they suspect to be involved in cheating people so that legal action can be taken against them.
