Is ideal job offer in Abu Dhabi via email a scam??

I received an email earlier this week from a representative of the Fonga Group stating they had selected my details from a job search site as a potential match for an urgent position requiring start Feb 2015 and requesting I complete on online interview due to timescale involved.
Very in depth I completed and returned the form to get a response within an hour or two informing me I was successful and asking I forward copies of my education and training certificates, passport, etc.
On completion of their request I received back a formal offer and certificate of employment to sign and return almost immediately.
I was concerned all documents looked word generated but on speaking with a colleague I know and trust oversees he said this can sometimes the case and the Fongagroup is a legitimate service company.
Asked to attend a weeks training early in February, I was then asked to arrange my visa with a named representative of the Royal Immigration Agency. Checking again the website wasn't the best I'd seen but proceeded as instructed to contact the agent.
A processing fee of £855 was required to process my application which had to be paid immediately! Is this standard?
Going back to the rep at the Fongagroup they stated this was standard practice and they could not proceed further without this.

My confidence sock, I know put the brakes on and told them I could not proceed?
Back to me this morning the Fongagroup have requested I decline the offer officially and wish me all the best in my career search. Still suspicious, this is a  fantastic opportunity! Probably to good to be true!

Any assistance or guidance would be appreciated.

Thanks and regards

Andrew

A processing fee of £855 was required


Block the email address - it's a scam.

Thank you Fred

Disappointing but not unexpected!!

Kind regards

Andrew

Agree with Fred

Any so called employment agency who asks for money up front is a scam. Have come across many of them in my 50 odd years of work.

Hello aperry67,

I certainly hope that you did not send these people copies of any of your documents or degrees. As much as the money that these scammers are looking for, they're also looking to get their hands on these extremely valuable documents. They are quickly counterfeited and sold on the black market, which can often turn out to be a prolonged legal nightmare for the people who are the legal holder of the documents.

One should never send such information on a first contact, especially if the so-called job offer comes by e-mail. Also be very selective in exactly what other personal and identifying information you do provide, such as document numbers, credit card numbers, or anything else they may ask for.

In today's global scarcity of jobs, all too often people throw all caution to the wind and don't do even the simplest things to check out such offers and protect themselves from scammers. One of the most basic of which is a simple Google search "(name of company/organizations) + complaints".

They also will respond to unsolicited e-mails that come from free e-mail providers such as outlook, hotmail, gmail, yahoo, among others. NO LEGITIMATE COMPANY will ever use a free provider, they all will have their own websites and thus their own domain name for e-mails. (i.e. If the e-mail comes from XYZ Consultants, then they're going to have @xyzconsultants.com in their e-mail address).

Always Google the name of the prospective employer. They will in most cases have a website and many may even have a security warning page about current scams using their company name. Visit their site, if there is no such warning then use their "Contact us" link to enquire about the offer you have received. If it is a scam they will tell you so, and you've also alerted them to the threat against their company image and reputation. They will be extremely thankful for this information.

Since almost all recruiters are paid by the prospective employer asking for any advance fee should be the immediate warning that it is a scam.

The age old adage is still valid today.... "If it looks too good to be true, then it is too good to be true."

Cheers,
James        Expat-blog Experts Team

This certainly is a scam. Same thing happened to me with detailed appointment letter, stating just everythin that one would enquire from an appointment contract. They went ahead just like your case to recommend a visa agency to process my documents at a cost. When they realised i was too smart for their antics, they requested that i formally decline the offer. I mailed the details to the immigration authorities in dubai and they said they would track them.   It is a BIG SCAM.

Is this what you got?

Dear

Ref: Your profile has been shortlisted for a suitable job;

We are to bring to your notice that we are currently recruiting for the position of QA/QC MECHANICAL INSPECTOR, and as per the information we confirmed from your profile in one of the reputable career website, we believe you can be able to handle the above position.

The position comes with a tax free salary of AED 89,988.50 / US$ 24,500.00 per every month.

Benefits are;

a) Accommodation will be available for the entire contract duration
b) Flight ticket will also be provided
c) Travel and Medical Insurance will be provided

Contract starting date is 16th February 2015, job rotation is 8 weeks in and 3 weeks off (You will be having 3 weeks paid leave after every 8 weeks of work) and working days are from Sunday to Thursday (Friday is a non working day, while Saturday is half working day). Working hours are from 8am to 4pm and job location is ABU DHABI, UAE.

For reconfirmation purposes, if this proposal is acceptable by you, please urgently reply through email with your current updated CV/Resume, also indicate in the message that you accept the proposal. Don't hesitate to include any question you may have in the reply email.

Regards,

Mr. Ahmed Hassan
Int'l Recruitment Executive
Fonga International
25 West 52nd Street
New York, NY 10019, United States
Tel:  +1 (646) 760 3037
Fax: +1 (646) 760 3038
Email: [email protected]
Email: [email protected]
Website: [link moderated]

oterjaime wrote:

Is this what you got?

Dear

Ref: Your profile has been shortlisted for a suitable job;

We are to bring to your notice that we are currently recruiting for the position of QA/QC MECHANICAL INSPECTOR, and as per the information we confirmed from your profile in one of the reputable career website, we believe you can be able to handle the above position.

The position comes with a tax free salary of AED 89,988.50 / US$ 24,500.00 per every month.

Benefits are;

a) Accommodation will be available for the entire contract duration
b) Flight ticket will also be provided
c) Travel and Medical Insurance will be provided

Contract starting date is 16th February 2015, job rotation is 8 weeks in and 3 weeks off (You will be having 3 weeks paid leave after every 8 weeks of work) and working days are from Sunday to Thursday (Friday is a non working day, while Saturday is half working day). Working hours are from 8am to 4pm and job location is ABU DHABI, UAE.

For reconfirmation purposes, if this proposal is acceptable by you, please urgently reply through email with your current updated CV/Resume, also indicate in the message that you accept the proposal. Don't hesitate to include any question you may have in the reply email.

Regards,

Mr. Ahmed Hassan
Int'l Recruitment Executive
Fonga International
25 West 52nd Street
New York, NY 10019, United States
Tel:  +1 (646) 760 3037
Fax: +1 (646) 760 3038
Email: [email protected]
Email: [email protected]
Website: [link moderated]


It is a scam. Found it online in less than a minute of searching. 
It is absurd to offer a salary of that magnitude for such a position.

scam scam scam

It is a Scam.

Search the company in google or just type the name in search bar, you will get lot of messages about this spam.

Thanks.
Azhar.

SCAM!

Mi nombre es Antonio , recibi una oferta muy buena de matherwell Group, una empresa de Petroleo y gas para desempeñañarme como project manager, con un sueldo muy bueno en libras para trabajar en Escocia; el mismo modus operandis, despues de una exitosa entrevista en linea y de firmar un contrato con esta presunta empresa petrolera, me dicen que debo gestionar mi BLDE lIcence con una empresa llamda Royal Inmigration Agency y el contacto un tal Adrian Patrick que me pedia una serie de documentacion de educacion y pasaporte y 650 libras para realizar el tramite de obtencion del BLDE; yo desconfie y le escribi al empleador, Gerente de Recursos Humanos, un tal Fred Mcleam para decirle que la compañia pagara mi BLDE y yo se los pagaria, si fuera necesario , cuando comenzara a trabajar en Escocia, me contesto que este es un tramite personal y que debia seguir las insytrucciones de  Adrian Patrick, y que si no iba a poder seguir el proceso de contratacion que neviara una carta declinando la oferta de trabajo para darsela a otro aspirante.
Otra cosa en comun es que aparece el nombre de un tal Al Hakam Mohammed, quien firma mi contrato como Presidente de recursos humanos.
Como podemos ver, hay muchas coincidencias en esto que sin lugar a dudas es una gran estafa y pobre de aquel que cayo en estas redes de delincuentes.
Personalmente voy a llevar esto a la justicia inglesa ya que yo viajo muy frecuente a Inglaterra y vamos a desemmascarar a estos delincuentes.

agaldeano wrote:

Mi nombre es Antonio , recibi una oferta muy buena de matherwell Group, una empresa de Petroleo y gas para desempeñañarme como project manager, con un sueldo muy bueno en libras para trabajar en Escocia; el mismo modus operandis, despues de una exitosa entrevista en linea y de firmar un contrato con esta presunta empresa petrolera, me dicen que debo gestionar mi BLDE lIcence con una empresa llamda Royal Inmigration Agency y el contacto un tal Adrian Patrick que me pedia una serie de documentacion de educacion y pasaporte y 650 libras para realizar el tramite de obtencion del BLDE; yo desconfie y le escribi al empleador, Gerente de Recursos Humanos, un tal Fred Mcleam para decirle que la compañia pagara mi BLDE y yo se los pagaria, si fuera necesario , cuando comenzara a trabajar en Escocia, me contesto que este es un tramite personal y que debia seguir las insytrucciones de  Adrian Patrick, y que si no iba a poder seguir el proceso de contratacion que neviara una carta declinando la oferta de trabajo para darsela a otro aspirante.
Otra cosa en comun es que aparece el nombre de un tal Al Hakam Mohammed, quien firma mi contrato como Presidente de recursos humanos.
Como podemos ver, hay muchas coincidencias en esto que sin lugar a dudas es una gran estafa y pobre de aquel que cayo en estas redes de delincuentes.
Personalmente voy a llevar esto a la justicia inglesa ya que yo viajo muy frecuente a Inglaterra y vamos a desemmascarar a estos delincuentes.


:unsure

Very hard for members to understand your post as this is an ENGLISH speaking forum. Could you please post in ENGLISH only and that way we can understand and perhaps offer information or advice. 

Thank you.

IT IS A SCAM!!!

Fraud all the way.