Fake job advertisements in newspapers are making young job seekers fool in growing number. The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of police picked up two fraudsters, including a private university student, from the capital in the recent past. Nazmul Hasan Sumon alias Mazharul and Tanvir Ahmed Jewel were arrested from Khilkhet and Dakkhin Khan areas, according to the report of a national daily.
Nazmul, a Southeast University student hailed from Rajbari’s Goalundo and Tanvir from Babuganj in Barisal were arrested in a fraud case filed by Ziaul Islam and Hayat with Biman Bandar Police Station on last November 14. Around Tk 7 lakh was taken from them. Like Ziaul and Hayat, there are many who have fallen victim to advertisement in newspapers posted by such fraudsters.
We must say innocent job seekers must be protected from lucrative media advertisements. There are many ways it can be stopped. In our view, newspapers should carefully scrutinise advertisements before publishing those so that criminals cannot take undue advantage to defraud innocent people. The jobseekers should also verify any related information from the prospective employers before entering any agreement with an organisation or an individual.
But, no matter how vigilant the press is we can’t escape one fact–the desperation of many of our economically deprived citizens to go abroad at any cost. This get-rich-quick mentality is what has led to many such cases of fraud. Many cases end up even worse–with people being held hostage, tortured for ransom, and in some cases, even killed. Studies have shown that it takes an average Bangladeshi worker about twice or more the amount of money to go abroad as it takes for others in the subcontinent. The mechanism for the search of jobs overseas can be made more efficient and transparent by requiring recruitment agencies to post information about jobs available on their websites. Likewise, for recruitments made by the government (for example within the framework of the G2G mechanism), information may be posted on the website of BMET.
There are many places to go for information now–we have many radios and TV channels which describe how to earn money from farming, weaving handlooms, and many other ways. Instead of looking for employment our citizens could, with the same amount of money, look for employment creation by starting businesses which create jobs.
Unfortunately our citizens are not deterred from trying for jobs abroad at any price. It is at the stage of job search that migrant workers face the highest probability being misled and exploited by agents and sub-agents, and hence, measures will be needed to protect them from such dangers.
