Emergency: trapped, threatened or forced to work abroad
Contact the nearest Indian Mission, MADAD and PBSK when it is safe to do so
Do not confront controllers or attempt an unplanned escape. If your device may be monitored, ask a trusted person in India to report your passport number, recruiter, route and last-known location. Use local emergency services when safe and appropriate.
PBSK / overseas-worker helpline in India
1800-11-3090
MEA toll-free line; available from India
PBSK from outside India
+91-11-2688-5021
Standard international call charges apply
PBSK WhatsApp
+91-7428-321144
Send location and passport details only when safe
MADAD consular grievance portal
madad.gov.in
Register a consular grievance for an Indian abroad
Overseas Job Scam India 2026Dubai Fee Traps, Myanmar Compounds & How to Stay Safe
A fake overseas job can end before travel with stolen visa fees, or become a safety emergency after a worker is moved, confined and forced into cybercrime. Verify the agent, employer, visa and route independently before paying or departing.
Free checks · No login · Still verify registration and employment details through eMigrate and MEA
One offer, two possible outcomes
Fee-fraud path
You pay. The visa or job never appears. The agent disappears.
Trafficking path
You travel. The route, employer or freedom changes. Forced work begins.
A destination name alone is not evidence of fraud. The danger is the unverified recruiter, wrong visa, altered route, document control or coercion.
₹30,000
Maximum recruiting-agent service charge in MEA’s latest published RA guidance; obtain a receipt
MEA RA guidance
3,505
Unregistered recruiting agents notified on eMigrate by December 2025
MEA · Feb 2026
6,998
Indians rescued from Cambodia, Lao PDR and Myanmar during 2022–2025
Derived from MEA table
Unknown
Exact number still stranded in Southeast Asian scam centres
MEA · Feb 2026
Identify the harm first
Two Harms, Two Response Paths
Fee fraud and trafficking can begin with the same offer, but they require different urgency and reporting.
Path 1: Fee fraud before travel
An unregistered agent collects recruitment, visa, medical, insurance or ticket payments. The promised visa, employer or flight never materialises and the agent disappears.
Key signal: You remain in India, but money and identity documents may already be exposed.
Respond: Call 1930 immediately for recent digital payments, notify your bank and file at cybercrime.gov.in and eMigrate.
Path 2: Trafficking or forced cybercrime
A person travels on a false job promise, is moved to a different destination, has documents or movement controlled and is forced to conduct online fraud under threats or debt bondage.
Key signal: The promised employer, country, duties or freedom of movement changes after departure.
Respond: Treat this as a personal-safety emergency. Contact the nearest Indian Mission, MADAD and PBSK from a safe device or through family in India.
How the trap develops
The Overseas Job Scam Mechanism
1. Attractive international role
A social-media ad, WhatsApp contact or unknown agent offers high pay for IT, data-entry, casino, hospitality, construction or support work with little screening.
2. Documents, fees and urgency
Professional-looking contracts, visa receipts and flight plans are used to collect passport copies and staged payments before independent verification.
3. Disappearance or route change
The agent either vanishes before travel or changes the employer, visa type, transit country or final destination after the worker is committed.
4. Coercion at the destination
In the trafficking pathway, passports may be withheld and victims may be confined or compelled to run cyber-fraud schemes under threats or manufactured debt.
What the Government has confirmed
Fake Recruitment Can Lead to Forced Cybercrime
In February 2026, MEA told Parliament that dubious firms had lured Indians—mostly through social media—to Cambodia, Myanmar and Lao PDR, where some were made to carry out cybercrime from scam centres. The Ministry said the exact number still stranded was unknown.
Its table records 6,998 rescues across the three countries during 2022–2025. This is a rescue total, not an estimate of people currently trapped.
Read the Parliament responseCambodia
2,533 rescued
Total for 2022–2025
Lao PDR
2,297 rescued
Total for 2022–2025
Myanmar
2,168 rescued
Total for 2022–2025
Before paying or travelling
8 Warning Signs of an Overseas Job Scam
- 1
Recruitment only through chat
The agent avoids official email, verifiable office details and live contact with the foreign employer.
- 2
Tourist or visit visa for employment
MEA warns that a valid overseas job should use an employment or work visa—not a promise to convert a tourist visa later.
- 3
No active eMigrate registration
The recruiter’s name, registration number, status and office do not match the active Recruiting Agent record.
- 4
Large or fragmented payments
Money is split across personal bank accounts, UPI IDs or cash without an itemised official receipt.
- 5
Missing signed employment contract
Salary, duties, address, working hours, accommodation, travel and termination terms are vague or absent.
- 6
Destination or route changes
A Thailand, Dubai or Malaysia offer suddenly includes an unexplained land transfer, third-country transit or different worksite.
- 7
Passport control
The recruiter wants the original passport without a documented official process, or the employer says it will retain the passport after arrival.
- 8
Pressure and isolation
You are told not to consult family, an Indian Mission, the employer or eMigrate because the vacancy will disappear.
Official and independent checks
How to Verify an Overseas Job Offer in India
Do all five checks. A real-looking contract or visa screenshot cannot substitute for independent confirmation.
- Open eMigrate
Step 1
Check the recruiting agent on eMigrate
Match the agent’s legal name, registration number, office address and active status. Also review eMigrate’s list of unregistered agents. A screenshot of a licence is not enough.
- Check employer site
Step 2
Verify the foreign employer independently
Contact the company using details from its official website or registry—not the offer letter. Ask the relevant Indian Mission to help verify the employer if doubt remains.
Step 3
Confirm the visa, demand letter and contract
The visa must permit work. Read a signed employment contract covering duties, pay and conditions. Ask a registered agent to show the foreign employer’s demand letter and power of attorney.
- Call PBSK
Step 4
Check every charge before paying
MEA’s latest published RA guidance caps the agent’s service charge at ₹30,000 and requires a receipt. Confirm the current limit with PBSK, pay only verified beneficiaries and preserve every record.
- Open MADAD
Step 5
Create a safe-departure plan
Share the contract, visa, itinerary, agent record and employer address with family. Save the Indian Mission and MADAD contacts. Refuse unexplained route, employer or destination changes.
Choose the correct path
Recovery and Emergency Guide
Path A · You paid but did not travel
Treat it as financial and recruitment fraud
- 1
Stop further payments
Do not pay a final release, refund, tax, clearance or recovery fee. Notify the bank or payment provider immediately.
- 2
Call 1930
For recent online financial fraud, call the national cybercrime helpline and keep the acknowledgement number.
- 3
File the cybercrime complaint
Submit chats, phone numbers, URLs, contracts, visa files, beneficiary details and transaction records at cybercrime.gov.in.
- 4
Report the agent through eMigrate
Complain to the Protector General/Protector of Emigrants and identify whether the agent was registered, suspended or unregistered.
- 5
Register a MADAD grievance if overseas harm is involved
Use MADAD and the relevant Indian Mission for employer abuse, stranded-worker or repatriation assistance.
Path B · You are unsafe abroad
Prioritise personal safety and consular help
- 1
Move only when safe
Do not confront controllers or attempt an unplanned escape. Use a safe device or ask family in India to contact officials if your phone is monitored.
- 2
Share precise identifying details
Send full name, passport number, current or last-known location, recruiter, employer, travel route and a safe callback method.
- 3
Contact the nearest Indian Mission and MADAD
Use the Mission’s current official emergency channel and register a MADAD grievance. Ask family to repeat the report from India.
- 4
Contact PBSK
Call 1800-11-3090 from India or +91-11-2688-5021 from abroad; the verified PBSK WhatsApp is +91-7428-321144.
- 5
Preserve safety and evidence
Keep battery and connectivity where possible. Record threats, passport seizure and location only when doing so will not increase danger.
Reporting for someone else?
Give officials the passport number, agent, employer, route, last contact time, location clues and a safe way to communicate.
Side-by-side check
Legitimate Overseas Placement vs Scam
| Check | Safer, verifiable process | High-risk pattern |
|---|---|---|
| Recruiter | Active RA record matches on eMigrate | Unregistered agent, sub-agent or licence screenshot only |
| Visa | Employment/work visa verified officially | Tourist/visit visa with conversion promise |
| Contract | Signed terms identify employer, duties, pay and conditions | Vague letter, missing employer signature or changing duties |
| Payments | Within current official rules, verified beneficiary and receipt | Personal UPI/cash, split payments or no receipt |
| Route | Employer, country and itinerary stay consistent | Unexplained transit, land transfer or destination change |
| Documents | Worker retains originals and copies | Original passport held or access restricted |
Verified government details
Official Overseas-Employment Safety Resources
| Resource or rule | Verified detail | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Recruiting agent status | Verify active registration on eMigrate | MEA |
| Published RA service-charge cap | ₹30,000; receipt required | Latest MEA RA guidance |
| Valid travel purpose | Employment/work visa, not tourist visa | MEA overseas-job advisory |
| PBSK in India | 1800-11-3090, toll-free | MEA |
| PBSK outside India | +91-11-2688-5021 | MEA advisory |
| PBSK WhatsApp | +91-7428-321144 | MEA advisory |
| Unregistered agents listed by Dec 2025 | 3,505 | MEA Parliament answer · Feb 2026 |
| Exact number currently stranded | Not known | MEA Parliament answer · Feb 2026 |
The supplied loss totals, average-fee figures, case studies, estimates of people currently trapped and destination percentages are not reproduced because matching primary evidence was not found. This guide also excludes unverified emergency numbers. Always re-check contact details on MEA, MADAD or the relevant Indian Mission before relying on them.
Related job-scam guides
Compare the Recruitment Mechanism
Advance Fee Job Registration Fraud
Domestic fake offer letters and pre-joining fees without the cross-border safety and trafficking pathway.
WhatsApp & Telegram Job Offer Scam
Unsolicited messaging-app recruitment and trust-building before money or documents are requested.
Fake Job Portal / Naukri Clone Scam
Copied recruitment websites that harvest resumes, Aadhaar, PAN and contact information.
Job Scams India Hub
Compare the main job-fraud mechanisms, warning signs and reporting paths.
Free RakshaAI checks
Check Before Paying or Sending Documents
Website Safety Checker
Inspect the recruiting-agent or overseas employer website before sharing documents or paying.
Check websitePhone Number Checker
Search the agent’s mobile number for community reports and suspicious identity signals.
Check agent numberReport a Scam
Submit the agent, website and evidence to help warn other job seekers.
Current advisories
Check live MEA travel advisories and scam alerts
Recruiter names, routes and destination risks change quickly. Do not rely on a static list of agents or old embassy numbers.
Quick answers
Overseas Job Scam and Trafficking FAQs
What are the two harms in an overseas job scam?
The first is fee fraud: money and documents are collected but no genuine job or travel follows. The second is trafficking or forced labour: the person travels, the promised employer or destination changes, movement or documents are controlled, and the person may be forced to conduct cybercrime. The second path is an urgent personal-safety situation.
How do I verify an overseas job offer from India?
Verify the recruiting agent’s active registration on eMigrate, contact the foreign employer independently, confirm a genuine work visa, read the signed employment contract, check every fee against current MEA rules and share the verified itinerary and Indian Mission contacts with family.
Does every overseas job have to appear on eMigrate?
eMigrate is central to India’s regulated overseas-employment system, but the exact emigration-clearance workflow depends on the passport category, destination and recruitment route. MEA states that ECR passport holders taking employment in an ECR country require emigration clearance. Use eMigrate and PBSK to confirm the requirement for your case rather than treating absence from a search as the only test.
How can I check whether a recruiting agent is registered?
Search the active Recruiting Agent list on emigrate.gov.in and match the legal name, registration number, office address and status. Do not trust a licence screenshot or a sub-agent. MEA says overseas recruitment agents must be registered under the Emigration Act, 1983.
How much can a registered recruiting agent charge?
MEA’s latest published Recruiting Agent guidance states that service charges must not exceed ₹30,000 and that the agent must issue a receipt. Some older MEA webpages still display earlier limits, so confirm the current applicable amount with PBSK or eMigrate before paying.
Is it safe to travel on a tourist visa for a promised job?
No. MEA’s advisory says a valid job offer should permit travel on an employment or work visa and that a tourist visa is for tourism. A promise to convert it after arrival is a major warning sign.
What should I do after paying a fake overseas job agent?
Stop paying, call 1930 for recent digital-payment fraud, notify your bank, file at cybercrime.gov.in, report the agent through eMigrate or the Protector of Emigrants and preserve every chat, document, number, URL and transaction record. Recovery is not guaranteed and depends heavily on speed and traceable payment routes.
What should I do if someone is trapped in an overseas scam compound?
Do not attempt an amateur rescue. Contact the nearest Indian Mission and register a MADAD grievance. From India call PBSK at 1800-11-3090; from abroad use +91-11-2688-5021. MEA’s published PBSK WhatsApp is +91-7428-321144. Share the passport number, recruiter, route and last-known location through safe channels.
Is 1800-11-3090 an MHA anti-trafficking helpline?
No. Official MEA sources identify 1800-11-3090 as the Overseas Workers Resource Centre or Pravasi Bharatiya Sahayata Kendra helpline for overseas-employment information and grievances. This guide labels it accurately and pairs it with MADAD and the nearest Indian Mission.
How common are Southeast Asian fake-job scam centres?
In a February 2026 Parliament response, MEA said the exact number of Indians stranded was not known. Its country table records 6,998 rescues from Cambodia, Lao PDR and Myanmar during 2022–2025, while warning that dubious firms use social media and illegal recruitment channels.
Before departure
Verify the agent, employer, work visa, contract and route independently.
No deadline is worth bypassing the checks that preserve your money, documents and physical safety.