Police warn jobhunters about bogus jobs

Dubai: Bogus jobs being offered by gangs disguised as companies are a growing concern as they are usually a cover for money laundering operations,  police have warned.

Major Saeed Al Hajeri, Director of the Criminal Investigation Department's Electronic Crime section, said many people have fallen victim to these kind of traps for lack of awareness, despite police issuing warnings about these crimes.

Fake companies

Unregistered and fake companies advertise vacancies and people apply for these positions without realising their desperation to find work could land them in trouble, Maj Al Hajeri told Gulf News.

They are asked to open bank accounts in their names and told that making money transfers on behalf of the company is part of their duties — and end up doing it with or without knowledge that what they are doing is illegal.

"Employees are told they are working for a trade company and are asked to open a bank account to receive money from clients who allegedly bought commodities from this company," Maj Al Hajeri said.

They are then asked to transfer this money to other countries, and before they know it, they are involved as mules in money laundering crimes.

What they fail to realise is that their goodwill will not be taken into consideration when their employer's company's activities are tracked by the authorities. They will be prosecuted for their role along with their employers, Maj Al Hajeri said.

Activities

"These are not companies, but criminal gangs, and those who get involved in their activities will have to prove to the court that they are not part of the scheme because the transfers made in their names will be used as evidence against them," he added.

Maj Al Hajeri warned residents against falling victim to this crime by ensuring they are employed by a registered company that issues working contracts and that any money transfers are in the company's name, not their own.

The department registered 345 cases at the end of August this year, compared to 444 in 2010 and 436 in 2009. Of this year's cases, 160 were referred to the court including 72 cyber assault cases, 57 phishing cases, 43 con cases, 53 phone thefts, 26 liable, 12 hacking, 17 blackmail, 11 breach of intellectual property, eight verbal abuse and three harassment cases.

Sana, a Lebanese resident, had just arrived in Dubai after marrying a UAE resident. She hoped her master's degree in human resources and years of experience would help her secure a good job and saw a job advertised in a local paper.

Interview

"The company promised good position and allowances, so I sent my CV and eventually, an interview was scheduled," she said.

When she turned up for the interview it was in a make-shift office. "I was wondering why a respectable financial services company does not have its own office, and this was the first alarming sign," she said.

Sana was told she would not be issued with a work contract as the company would not sponsor her.

"The final straw was when they told me that... my job would entail receiving money from their ‘clients' in the UAE and transferring it overseas. When I asked in whose name the transfers would be made, they told me it's all in my name," she said, adding, "I couldn't run out fast enough."

Safety tips

• Ensure the company you are applying to work for is registered and licensed to practice in the UAE.
• Do not accept an employment offer from a company that does not issue a labour contract, even if you will be working from home. If you do not have a labour contract registered at the Ministry of Labour you will be considered an illegal worker.
• A company should have its own bank accounts and should never ask employees to use their personal accounts in business transactions.
• Report any suspicious activities immediately to the police before you become a suspect.

— D.A.H.