UAE travellers warned of scammers offering ‘faster Schengen visa’ for a fee

For entertainment professional R.S. (name withheld for privacy), it was a once in a lifetime opportunity when he got a chance to perform at a festival in Portugal.

The only thing between him and his dream was a Schengen visa. “The gig was coming up shortly and I have been two times before, so I knew how long it takes,” he recalls. “I knew that it was short notice and that I wouldn’t get appointment slots on time. However, I was approached by an agent who promised to ‘help’ me if I paid him Dh500. I seriously considered it.”

But luckily for R.S., his friends talked him out of the idea. “They said there was a high chance that it was a scam and even if it was not, it was too much money that I did not have to spend,” he said.

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On Thursday, passport and visa outsource company VFS Global cautioned that there were many such unscrupulous agents who were scamming travelers off their money, promising to get Schengen appointment slots. “We want to make it clear that anyone who is charging to secure appointment slots is fraudulent,” said Monaz Billimoria, UAE Regional Head of VFS Global. “We would like to advise people against falling for such scams.”

In a statement, they made it clear that VFS Global does not charge any fee for booking appointments on its official website catering to visa applications. “Some governments require pre-payment of the service fee at the time of booking the appointment. This payment will be reimbursed or deducted during the application process. This step is only to ensure genuine travellers use appointment booking and the system is kept safe from misuse by fraudulent entities,” read the statement.

Lengthy wait for visa appointments

Speaking at an annual agenda meeting to reveal visa trends, Monaz said UAE residents were already planning their summer vacation and that Schengen visa as well as UK visa appointments were filling up fast.

To meet with the demand for UK visas, VFS Global has begun special premium centers across four emirates in the UAE. The agency has cautioned people to plan their vacations well ahead of time.

Last year, in June travelers had to wait for up to three months to get a Schengen visa appointment. Given these situations, a lot of people attempt to go through unscrupulous agents who promise to get their visa processed for a fee. Many UAE residents have fallen victim to such scams and have suffered monetary losses.

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