The United Nations Migration Agency, International Organisation for Migration, says more than 1,000 Nigerians have fallen victim to scams involving foreign job opportunities in the United Kingdom.
IOM’s Chief of Mission, Laurent De Boeck, disclosed this at a news conference on Monday, December 18, 2023 in Abuja.
Boeck noted that some of the victims lost as much as $10,000 each in their desperate attempts to secure foreign jobs.
He said they are consequently stranded in the UK because some of them lack the means to come back, while others are ashamed of coming back to their families.
“There are some of them who lost over $10,000 only to be given fake employment letters, which allowed them to get visas.
“They get there, present the letters, and the organisations tell them that the letters did not emanate from the organisations. Over a thousand people are affected,” he stated.
The IOM Chief of Mission went on to advise Nigerians to seek proper information before embarking on any migration.
He disclosed that over 260,000 Nigerians had approached the agency in 2023 seeking guidance on how to migrate through regular or approved routes and also undergoing pre-departure medical health assessments.
“IOM’s Migration Health efforts in 2023, including over 260,000 Pre-Departure Medical Health Assessments diagnosing and referring 166 migrants with TB, administering 15,000 vaccine doses, and renovating three public hospitals, exemplified the organization’s commitment to comprehensive healthcare,” he stated.
Source: Punch
