PAKISTAN’s perfect storm of issues — unemployment, few opportunities and a failing economy — offer a field day for scammers looking to swindle job seekers, particularly first-time candidates. The FIA has advised extreme caution as criminal networks in Thailand, Myanmar, Laos, Vietnam, and Cambodia are targeting Pakistanis with phony job offers, especially in the IT sector and related areas. Promises of hefty salaries and perks lure vulnerable applicants. But the motives are sinister. Illegal activities, including cyber and financial crimes are thrust upon these victims, and their passport are confiscated. Resistance means consequences, including violence and extortion from hapless families. Expressing its commitment to tightening immigration systems in order to align with international criteria, the FIA has run awareness campaigns on social media after several nationals were rescued from fraudulent call centres in the aforementioned countries.

As the labour market cools and generative AI explodes, online interviews have become the order of the day. This scenario provides fertile grounds for sham job advertisements and recruiters to prey on the desperate through sophisticated methods, making red flags difficult to detect. A raid by the Thai army on a Myanmar scam compound this year retrieved some 38 Pakistanis, while another 60 await repatriation. This is merely the tip of the iceberg. The adaptability, swift transfers and cyber ecosystems of global criminal syndicates, enabled by technological advancements, make them hard to uproot. Safety lies in running background checks on recruiting parties along with verifying employers’ credentials. All numbers, addresses and links must be traceable, and interviews cost-free. Every unsolicited offer has to be treated with suspicion. The state needs to thwart this chicanery by compelling immigration officials to ensure transparency and watch out for illegal travellers with fake documents. An industry that generates billions of dollars is often backed by powerful patrons. The operations against complex scam gangs cannot slow down.

Published in Dawn, December 7th, 2025