Abu Dhabi: The closure of the office a management consultancy which offers emigration services has raised suspicion of a scam among scores of its clients who paid thousands of dirhams to migrate to western countries.
The consultancy’s clients told Gulf News on Tuesday that staff has stopped answering calls and the office was closed.
“I paid Dh18,600 to get a job in Canada. I was even given a job contract issued by a prominent cruise ship company for the job of deck cadet helper with a monthly salary of $2,200 (Dh8,074),” said Solaiman Mrida, 29, a Bangladeshi clerk.
A receipt of an advance payment shown by him mentions that he has agreed to pay a total of Dh25,000 for the job.
Similarly, Jospeh Mayanja, 38, a cleaner from Uganda, who earns Dh1,300 a month, was also offered the same job contract. “I paid Dh10,600 in several instalments since 2014,” he said.
“We found ten other people at their office, who had the same issue. They all had paid huge amounts,” they said.
GT, 31, an Indian travel consultant who earns Dh5,000, said he was offered a Canadian work permit. “As I did not have money here, the Indian managing director of the company told me I could make a payment in India. She gave me her Indian bank account details. I transferred Rs350,000.”
She told him that he could find any job in Canada after he gets the work permit.
The victims said they have registered a complaint with the Financial Prosecution of Abu Dhabi Judicial Department on Sunday.
A copy of the complaint obtained by Gulf News said that 10 Asians have been cheated by the Abu Dhabi-based company represented by four people, including an Emirati and two Indians.
A comment from the department was not immediately available.
When Gulf News visited the agency’s office on Hamdan Street at around 5pm on Tuesday, a staff member of another firm at the same building said she did not find anyone at the office this week.
The watchman said since the office was closed down a few days ago, many clients were coming and enquiring about them.
The mobile phones of the managing director and other staff members were switched off.
The company’s website claims it has been working in the field of immigration and education for more than five years.
“We deal in overseas education, domestic education and immigration for various countries and specialise in all types of visa for Australia, New Zealand, Denmark and Canada,” it said.
— With inputs from Anwar Ahmad, Staff Reporter
