Gulf Salary Premium: Make sure to be aware of job offers scam in UAE

Beware of Gulf Salary Premium Job Offer Scam

The Emirates MOI (Ministry of Interior) has issued a warning to the public about fraudsters who advertise fraudulent jobs online to defraud individuals. The phony employers purportedly promise job seekers to work in reputable companies/hospitals/airlines in the nation and a Gulf salary premium payment. They demand money as a scam for the visa or processing of their application.

In this article, you will learn how to spot a scam and not fall for the gulf salary premium promise. After reading this article, you will never fall into the trap. Never give payments in the form of a bond/guarantee, either directly or through online travel agencies or exchanges. Please be aware that it is a hoax. Let us take a look:

1. What is the issue with the UAE recruitment scam?

2. How do recruitment agencies work and what is the risk?

3. What are the clues to a fraudulent job offer?

4. How can a wise person become a victim of these schemes?

5. How can job searchers prevent these scams?

6. Why should you contact us to help you with a job scam?

1. What is the issue with the UAE recruitment scam?

When looking for a job in UAE, you will stumble across several websites that promise to provide a service that assists job seekers in finding employment. A lot of the time, they give gulf salary premium promises, which makes individuals excited to get those jobs. Most of these services are, to put it plainly, frauds.

Unscrupulous individuals are taking advantage of the COVID-19 outbreak to abuse folks in urgent need of work. Although they promise a gulf salary premium, they also request an initial fee to apply for this amazing job.

Consular authorities and attorneys advised individuals to research firms online before scheduling interviews for a gulf salary premium. They are also advising job searchers to ask inquiries and even to request a company’s trade license copy. Most fraudulent companies will stop replying when you ask too much.

The problem is now worse because of the COVID-19 outbreak, with many unscrupulous individuals attempting to exploit those in need of work. When someone promises a disproportionate compensation, like a gulf salary premium, especially now in COVID-19, that is the first red flag.

2. How do recruitment agencies work and what is the risk?

Many job searchers are unaware of the importance of recruiting firms. Employers are not found in recruitment agencies. Employers hire recruitment agencies. They assist companies in filling openings.

Keep in mind that job searchers are sellers and companies are buyers. In most circumstances, the buyer pays the broker’s commission; this is not the case with recruiting agencies and hiring. However, because most job searchers are ignorant of this link, they are tricked. Adding a gulf salary premium expectation that is not coming.

You go to a prominent online classifieds site or a newspaper in UAE and place an ad in the employment-search section. You provide your email address or phone number. Then you get a call from someone who informs you that they are willing to hire you under a gulf salary premium payment.

You will naturally become thrilled and perform what they instruct. Then, eventually, they will demand payment. During this time, you need to be aware that they are attempting to defraud you. It does not matter if they promise a gulf salary premium, the truth is you do not need to pay to get a job. If you do, they will most likely keep your money and leave you hanging.

3. What are the clues to a fraudulent job offer?

There are different types of scams, not every fraudulent job offer looks the same, and not all of them will promise a gulf salary premium. However, it is important to recognize the main strategy they are following.

• • The scammers purportedly promote positions online with incredible salaries and bonuses. This is the part where they may include a gulf salary premium for the position they are offering.
• • Then, without an interview, produce an offer letter that includes the employer’s names and logos, with or without a false UAE Embassy stamp. If you count on a legal consultant, they can spot the difference.
• • The false employment offer will have a mobile phone number rather than a landline, as well as a fake Emirates Embassy stamp. Legal advice can help guide you in the differences.
• • You will then receive an offer of employment saying you have to pay the visa application cost – this is not the procedure here. According to the UAE Labor Law, employers must pay for the worker’s visa.

An employer and an online travel agency have no reason to connect in employment contracts. Only the employer has this authority. The travel agency just organizes tickets and visas.

The travel site or exchanger commits fraud on employees with offers that are too nice to be true. Of course, people think that the fee they are paying for the visa is small compared to the gulf salary premium they are promising.

4. How can a wise person become a victim of these schemes?

Searching online may lead you to a nice-looking website with a list of employment titles that include a profession instead of a position, and a Gulf salary premium offer. You may think it is precisely what you want to accomplish. So, you sign up, fill out all of the requirements, upload your resume, and click “Apply.”

Two days later, you obtain a very positive-sounding message that leads you to believe that your application was successful. Not only that, the gulf salary premium is on the table. Now, all that stands between you and a job interview, that will hopefully lead to a job offer from UAE, is a fairly small fee that you must pay to this website.

You can even be persuaded that paying this charge guarantees you employment or your investment refunded. This is very appealing, especially if you will be earning a gulf salary premium. However, when you study the tiny language or dig further, you discover that they will respect this claim after half a year, if at all.

What would you get in exchange for your money? Mostly, nothing of importance to you. Always know what you are spending on and who you are working with before you pay. Even when they offer bright opportunities, like a gulf salary premium. In case you got caught up in a scam, contact the best legal services providers to help you.

5. How can job searchers prevent these scams?

There is plenty of discussion on how the fraud takes place, however, there is an alternative point of view. Instead of focusing so much on the way they operate, you can follow certain rules yourself. Whether it is for a gulf salary premium employment, or a very small and cheap one, your strategy is the same.

Take into consideration that you can have a legal advisor accompanying you through your job search. They will spot any suspicious offer.

In this way, you can protect yourself from any fraud, whether you get to spot them or not. Most of the time, when they can tell that you will be cautious, they back off and go look for a weaker individual to scam. This is important because it is not only about the Gulf salary premium scam. They are changing strategies constantly to avoid getting caught.

5.1 Never transfer funds to a personal checking account

A legitimate recruiter will not demand payment up ahead. Be alert if the hiring discussion focuses on money rather than your qualifications. Job applicants have been requested to pay even more than AED 10,000 in payments in some situations. Mostly while being promised a gulf salary premium.

According to UAE legislation, unless permitted by the Official Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratization, a licensed labor provider may not solicit or accept payments or charge an employee for expenditures. Any legal consultant can take your case if you gave an unlawful payment.

Take special caution when they ask you to transfer or deposit into a personal account. Companies must have a legal bank account exclusively for the company. According to legal assistance, there is no reason to give a natural person any payment.

5.2 Conduct your research

Call the company to double-check whether or not they are recruiting and offering a gulf salary premium. Find out which corporations the recruiting firms have previously employed. Look for the company’s clientele and contact to see whether it has had any dealings with the recruiting agency.

Do not be afraid to request a copy of such a company’s trade license and name. Our legal service used to advise people to meet at an office, but now all calls are done by video. You may still research the corporation on your own though.

You must also understand your ground and the requirements for the job. If you just have high school and the job requires a college diploma, but they still call you and want to meet you for an interview, and give you a gulf salary premium, consider whether this is excessively good to be real.

5.3 Internet sites and email accounts that are not legitimate

Scammers invest a significant amount of work building a real appearance for a website, a real-looking job offer, and a viable gulf salary premium. However, it is important to focus and what it says, more than how real it can look.

If a false website has been constructed, the emails and contact information are different from the actual company; examine the discrepancies carefully. According to our legal advisors, a hyphen or comma might be used to make a fraudulent website or email look like it came from a real organization.

If you see this, verify with the main company. Go to the main website, verify if they are looking for employees and if they offer a gulf salary premium. The bogus firm may change the logo and letterhead, as well as supply another phone number.

5.4 Social media cross-reference

If the firm is unknown, look for evaluations and comments online. Look at social media for all recruiter’s profiles, then look up the organization on different sites. A legal consultant can help you find out whether the business has any contacts in the HR field.

During the COVID-19 outbreak, regulators such as the Emirates Financial Services Authority and law enforcement agencies decided to warn the general public about gulf salary premium scams. The Dubai Police and Sharjah Police issued advisories and published material alerting the community of an upsurge in fraud and fraudulent conduct.

5.5 Request legal assistance

If you are skeptical of a corporation that has requested you for money in exchange for work, hire a lawyer. The legal service can help you file a proper complaint with the government or the local police department.

Most employment lawyers will be able to tell you if a gulf salary premium promise is too good to be true. Counting on a legal advisor during your job search can be a great idea. Especially if it is an employment lawyer or a labor lawyer since they are very aware of the employment issues in the UAE.

Keep records of the text messages and emails as evidence. Gather all the job offer information, including gulf salary premium promises. Never give out crucial personal information like pin codes or passwords. If a corporation requests this data, report it to authorities.

5.6 Do not give personal information

If you are ever solicited for your Emirates ID details or passport number, bank account information, or any internet banking passwords, you should be concerned. Legal advice states that employers would only want copies of your visa and Emirates ID at a later point in the hiring process.

In the early phases, you should not give your personal information. This information would be relevant only if a contract is on the table. You would go through several levels of interviews at this point, as well as get an offer letter and the job contract including the Gulf salary premium agreement.

The information you offer should be entirely career-related. Such as data about your degree, your name, and your email address. At the same time, the information they give you must be easy to check and verify, including the gulf salary premium offer.

6. Why should you contact us to help you with a job scam?

People must exercise caution and conduct their research when they get a Gulf salary premium offer. It works for the fraudsters if they catch only one out of every ten individuals. We can tell a bogus website apart in minutes. Therefore, if you have any doubts, contact us or register a complaint with the appropriate government authorities.

Here, on Connect Legal, we have a lot of experts in the legal field. Job scams are not taken lightly under UAE law. Gulf salary premium is only offered under certain circumstances. On the other hand, we can also help you with other legal issues, like visa cancellation or defamation allegations.

Would you like to discover more about job scams and the gulf salary premium? For any further information, please call +971 43 316 688. You may also write us at [email protected] and speak with a member of our team who will be able to answer all of your inquiries.