The Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Sri Lanka has issued a public warning about fraudulent recruitment schemes offering jobs in the Netherlands, saying several people have already been defrauded.
In a media statement dated 12 November, the embassy said certain individuals were misleading job seekers with fake employment offers and circulating forged letters purporting to come from the Dutch Immigration Services, NewsFirst reported.
The central claim
The embassy’s correction is categorical: the Netherlands does not issue work visas for almost all categories of employment. Genuine openings exist only in exceptional cases such as highly skilled, high-tech roles. Offers outside that narrow band are fraudulent.
It also stated that the embassy does not facilitate recruitment for employment in the Netherlands in any capacity — a point aimed at schemes that borrow the mission’s name for credibility.
What the embassy asks people to do
Prospective applicants are advised to verify any job offer directly with the prospective employer before making any financial commitment. Those who have already lost money, or who have been approached by suspicious agents, are urged to seek immediate legal assistance and report the matter to Sri Lankan law enforcement, the Daily Mirror reported.
Context
The warning lands the same day as a separate Foreign Ministry advisory against travelling abroad for work on tourist visas, which covered Sri Lankans in difficulty in Malaysia, Dubai and Oman. The two are distinct: the ministry’s notice concerns people who left on the wrong visa class, while the embassy’s concerns a document-forgery racket operating before anyone departs.
The forged-letter element is what distinguishes this scheme. A counterfeit letter on an immigration authority’s letterhead is the instrument that makes an impossible visa look granted, and it is typically produced at the point where payment is requested.
Not reported
Neither filing gives the number of victims, the sums lost, whether any arrests have been made, or whether the forged letters were traced to a specific recruitment agency.
