Fake Job Offer Confirmed and Intercepted

One of our intercepts from our Anti-Human Trafficking Awareness Program is Radhika* (24). 

Radhika comes from a modest and traditional family of eight. Her father is a migrant worker in India, while her mother manages their home. Despite their poverty, her parents worked very hard to ensure that Radhika and her siblings would finish school. Her parents’ humble dream is to see doors open for their children through education. By then, they would have known that they had succeeded.

After 12th grade, Radhika aspired to embark on her career. To do this, she must pass the Public Service Commission (Lok Sewa) examinations. But even after two tries, she was unable to pass. Two tries is enough rejection to discourage someone who had already been trying their best, so Radhika pivoted to something else. She is still determined to support herself and her family, so she began surrendering to fate and looked for any kind of job that would accept her. Still, she did not find anything despite all her efforts. 

During this period, she met a person through social media who informed her about a job opportunity in India. The person claimed that a company in Gorakhpur, India, was hiring workers and that the job required a seven-day training program. She was told that she would need to pay NPR 25,000 as a training fee, and after completing the training, she would receive a monthly salary of NPR 50,000, along with food and accommodation provided by the company.

For a desperate person, this opportunity sounds absolutely promising. But her family felt otherwise. To them, it sounded suspicious, but it did not stop Radhika’s enthusiasm. She went to India to confirm if the work was real. Her father worked there, anyway, so she thought it would be safe. The plan is this: if the job is legitimate, she would take it. If not, she would head back home. 

While traveling toward India, Radhika was stopped by our staff who were on duty at the border. Her travel appeared suspicious, and she was asked several questions.

Initially, she stated that she was traveling to Delhi to visit her father. However, when the staff members recorded her details and contacted her family, her parents explained that someone had invited her to India for a job opportunity.

During further questioning, Radhika admitted that she did not know the name of the company, the exact nature of the job, or any official details about the organization. She only knew that there would be a one-week training program costing NPR 25,000, after which she would supposedly receive a high salary.

After verifying the name of the company, our staff conducted an online search. It was found that the company was fake. There are tons of job offers that turn out to be fraud and are used to exploit or traffic vulnerable individuals. They explained that in many cases, recruiters receive money for bringing people to such companies, while the victims lose their money and compromise their safety. There have been several incidents after trusting such fake companies, and some have even been trafficked.

After receiving this information, Radhika realized that she might have been at serious risk. The organization also informed her family about the suspicious company and the potential dangers involved. Her family immediately requested that she be stopped from continuing the journey and expressed their gratitude for the timely intervention.

With the coordination of the organization and her family, Radhika was safely returned and reunited with her family, ensuring her protection from a potentially harmful situation. Because of our intervention, she no longer needs to spend extra money to “verify” the job or worse, get lured into dangerous situations. 

*Name is changed for privacy.

Our Partners