Akinwande Soji-Ojo
The world’s leading visa, passport, and consular services service specialist, VFS Global, has warned Nigerians to stay clear of fraudulent visa appointments.
In an advisory issued on Thursday, VFS Global said with the increased demand for visa application appointments, scammers pose as employees or associates of the organisation; or agents and intermediaries who promise an early appointment at an additional cost to embezzle job seekers and innocent visa applicants alike.
As part of measures to curb such incidents, VFS Global disclosed that it had implemented the following measures:
• Only applicants with a valid appointment will be permitted entry into the centre premises.
• Implemented Facial Recognition appointment booking system initially with one embassy process (Portugal application), others will be implemented soon after.
• Visa application form validation system to integrate the form reference number with appointment booking reference (Denmark application)
• OTP code is required to book the appointment to limit the intervention of agents(Canada application)
• Anti-fraud messages across social media platforms, on the appointment letter, call centre voice messages, advertisements/posters, etc.
• We urge applicants to report any such instances by emailing the details to [email protected]
Commenting on the development, the Head- Sub-Saharan Africa, VFS Global, Alok Singhal, said: “It is important for applicants to bear in mind that appointment slots are offered online based on the volume of demand or forecast and in conjunction with the Consulate’s internal capacity planning. Once scheduled, they are recommended to be at the Centre 15 minutes before the appointed time to avoid missing your slot. We strongly advise all applicants to be careful of touts and fraudulent parties who falsely promise early appointment bookings in exchange for payment. With the presence of location pins and information on popular social media and search platforms, many such fraudsters create a fake presence using company credentials like logos, official name etc. and include their contact details in the details provided on these pages that deceive genuine travellers who mistake these details as the official presence of the company.”
VFS Global added that it manages only the administrative and non-judgemental tasks related to visa, passport and consular services for governments.
“We do not play any role in the decision-making process of visas. This is the sole prerogative of the respective governments. The availability of visa appointments, mandatory documentation, and the visa application decision, including the processing time, are entirely at the discretion of the respective governments. Once scheduled, we highly recommend the applicants be at the centre 15 minutes before the appointed time to avoid missing their slot. Visa appointments are free and available only on www.vfsglobal.com on a first come first served basis,” it said.
