Fraudulent study abroad firms scam students

Eager youth paying millions of rupees for admission to universities abroad end up losing both their money and time

LAHORE:

With the country's higher education sector in turmoil, more students finishing secondary school are looking abroad for further studies. But as scammers increasingly exploit their aspirations, locals must think twice before clicking on enticing study abroad ads.

For instance, Shahzaib Rasheed, a student from Lahore, had hoped to pursue his higher education in Hong Kong. "I contacted a study abroad agent and paid Rs1 million for admission; however, despite the passage of a year, I have still not been admitted. The agent is now pressuring me to give him some time for him to refund the money in instalments. I have submitted a complaint to the FIA, and the inquiry is still ongoing," shared Shahzaib.

Like Shahzaib, Zainab Tahir, a medical student, had applied for admission to a medical college in Uzbekistan. "The agent took money for the fee but did not submit it to the medical college because of which I had to waste an entire year. I have submitted a complaint to the FIA, which is currently being processed," revealed Zainab.

Similarly, Mushtaq Shah, revealed that he had deposited Rs1.5 million with an agent for his wife's PhD in Malaysia. "The agent provided fake university receipts and when we went for admission, my wife's name was not on the list. We have now contacted the FIA and submitted an application for action against the agent," said Shah.

"It is a sad reality that many people fall prey to the cunning tactics of fraudulent study abroad agents through online and social media platforms. As a result, they end up losing their valuable savings. Therefore, students and their families should contact only the registered agents who hold a valid license," asserted Mohammad Azam Joiya, former Director of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA).

According to data obtained by the Express Tribune, cases of fraud involving study abroad firms have skyrocketed over the past four years by 20 to 35 per cent across five major cities in Punjab, where 400 complaints were received in 2021, 770 in 2022, 1,080 in 2023 and a total of 1,409 in 2024, out of which the highest percentage of cases was reported from the provincial capital, Lahore, followed by Rawalpindi, Gujranwala, Faisalabad and Multan.

"Nowadays, it has become a trend for every other student to want to study at a university abroad. Some apply to medical, engineering or law colleges while many others hope to pursue a graduate degree in a field of their choice. In all these cases, students are looking for shortcuts to expedite the admission process hence they end up in the malicious hold of fraudulent study abroad firms. At the moment, Pakistan urgently needs an educational revolution, where the government should improve the state of colleges and create ample job opportunities so that the younger generation prefers to stay in Pakistan instead of going abroad," explained Professor Asif Tanveer, a pedagogical expert.

Tanveer's claims were supported by annuals records which showed that approximately 10,000 to 13,000 students from Punjab travel to countries like Russia, UK, Ukraine, Azerbaijan, Iran, Malaysia, Bangladesh, Kazakhstan, Romania, Turkey, and Australia for higher education, out of which more than 4,000 belong to the field of medicine, 3,000 seek to pursue engineering, while almost 1,000 students hope to study law. Moreover, at least 3,000 students register for master's and doctoral programs abroad each year.

Speaking to the Express Tribune on the matter, HEC spokesperson Tanveer Qasim said, "The Higher Education Commission (HEC)'s website clearly lists the names of verified universities. Unfortunately, many students take the assistance of fraudulent agents, who often guide them to unaccredited universities. These agents may charge students extra money under the pretext of scholarships and misguide them on their admission process."