GUWAHATI: A fraudulent website claiming to be related to the Ministry of Labor and Employment has been launched. Offering thousands of non-existent government vacancies across the states of West Bengal, Haryana, and Assam, the website operates as ‘Gramin Udyamita Vikash Nigam’ (guvnigam.org) and has tried to gain credibility by using a photograph of Prime Minister Narendra Modi as a national emblem and the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav logo.
The website advertises fake government programs such as "Employment and Corporation Center,” “Entrepreneur Development Center,” “Skill Development Program,” and “Empowerment Education System.” Although domain registration details show that it was registered as “Raj Kumar” a few months ago in June, Oct. 8, 2024, the scam had already occurred with full of fluctuations.
The website promotes a variety of fake job positions, including "District Entrepreneurship Development Officer" with a salary of Rs 33,500 and vacancies of 272, among other job offers such as data entry executive. It is applicable to employees who multitask and District Coordinator whose salary is Rs 15,000. Candidates are asked to pay a registration fee of Rs 435 (for general OBC candidates) and Rs 345 (for SC/ST candidates).
The scam targets job seekers from multiple states with attractive offers. In West Bengal, 3,450 vacancies for a salary of Rs 21,500 require only a 10th grade qualification, 2,750 posts for a multitasking staff offer of Rs 15,500, and 1365 posts for data entry with a promise of Rs 17,500 to 33,500 monthly. Assam is also on the list with similar job opportunities. The website promises 5000 vacancies in Haryana with a salary ranging between Rs. 15,500 and Rs. 33,500.
The website's instructions directs applicants to pay the registration fees via QR code and submit a screenshot of the payment along with their application, a clear tactic designed to siphon-off money from unsuspecting victims.
This scam site operates under multiple domain names, including guvn.co.in (registered on September 6, 2023) and guvn.org (registered on July 11, 2023). These websites target job seekers from many states and identify an alarming number of job vacancies in West Bengal, Assam, and Haryana. Even though various sites were identified as fake sites and recently suspended, they were active for months by defrauding many sites into paying for job opportunities that don't actually exist.
Even though it was identified as fraudulent, the scam continues, with multiple YouTube videos from content creators explaining how to apply for jobs that don't exist. These videos make it easier for scams to spread and trick more people into joining.
This case highlights the increased risk of such fraudulent operations and emphasises the need for greater monitoring and supervision of online activity to protect unsuspecting job seekers.
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