Fraudsters are posing as VFS Global employees selling fake Schengen visa appointments in the UAE, a spokesperson from the visa application company told Arabian Business.
This comes as pent-up post-COVID travel demand has made it very difficult for UAE residents to secure a Schengen visa appointment during the peak summer travel period, causing many to reschedule their holiday plans or cancel them altogether.
“There has been an increase in fraudsters this year who are taking advantage of people by selling appointments. We have seen some people come into the centre with appointment confirmations which are fake and were unfortunately scammed by these fraudsters,” said Monaz Billimoria, VFS Global’s Deputy Head of the UAE.
“We are trying our best to raise awareness on this issue because many people have fallen for this scam. We have even contacted the required authorities and are carrying out our own investigations on the matter.”
Many have unfortunately fallen prey to this as scammers continue to take advantage of the “revenge travel” demand and the lack of appointments made available by the Schengen zone countries’ embassies in the UAE.
Several low-income workers in search of economic opportunities abroad are being targeted by these fraudsters who are claiming to offer them both a visa and job in a Schengen country. These scams are not only being carried out from the UAE, but also from Southeast Asia and Africa, Billimoria said.
Appointment challenges for Schengen visas
Despite the spike in demand for Schengen visas, VFS is unable to increase appointment availability as it allocates appointments in accordance with embassy and consulate guidelines based on their capacity to review all applications. Billimoria added that hiring more staff at VFS would not solve the issue.
“Due to high travel demand, we see a demand-supply disbalance,” she said.
“We are working closely with the embassies and consulates to cater to the existing demand to the best of our abilities.”
While it may be difficult to obtain an appointment confirmation one or two months ahead, she suggests that residents proactively plan ahead by booking appointments in advance if they are aware of an upcoming national holiday or a busy travel season. This approach can help them secure an appointment slot and avoid last-minute difficulties.
“You can actually secure an appointment up to six months in advance,” she said, encouraging people to plan a little earlier than they might have done so a year or two ago.
2023 has been one of VFS’ busiest years, she said, as it registered a 20 percent increase in demand for travel since last year.
Although UK visa applicants can go for Priority (3-5 days) and Super Priority (24 hours) services to receive the visa decision sooner, Schengen visas do not have that option. And it does not look like this will be made available any time soon.
Follow us on
