Migration service warns of fraudsters collecting money from citizens

The Migration Service of Tajikistan warned that some individuals and bogus foundations are posting fabricated photos and videos on social media to collect money.

As reported by the Migration Service under the Ministry of Labor, Migration, and Employment of the Population of Tajikistan on November 4, officials at the Dushanbe airport warned passengers about fraudulent schemes aimed at deceiving citizens under the guise of charitable activities.

The Migration Service urged citizens to verify the official name of the organization, the purpose of the fundraising, and the ownership of the bank account before sending money to unknown individuals.

In particular, the agency warned against transfers to cards whose numbers are published in unidentified Telegram channels or sent on behalf of unknown individuals in messengers.

In October of this year, the migration service had already warned citizens traveling to Russia for work about similar cases at the same airport. It is unclear from the new message whether the repeated warning is a result of complaints from labor migrants or if it is solely aimed at preventing such cases. The Migration Service also did not name the bogus foundations or pages and did not explain where victims of fraud should turn to recover their money.

Previously, there were reports in Tajikistan about fundraising under the pretext of helping those in need. The Ministry of Internal Affairs had previously reported that several residents of Dushanbe were detained for creating fake pages on social media and collecting money under the guise of helping those in need. According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the suspects were, on one hand, collecting money from residents for the needy, while on the other hand, charging the needy themselves for inclusion on the list of aid recipients.