A GHOST construction company, which claims to employ more than 52,000 people, is conning people abroad by offering fake jobs in Bahrain.
The scam was exposed after three accountants in India were offered jobs by the Alnass United Groups, which does not have a Commercial Registration (CR).
Mohammed Abdul Aleem Khan, Mohammed Mohsen and Mohammed Imran, from Hyderabad, received their appointment letters and employment contracts a few days ago.
The company instructed them to pay a man representing it in India to confirm their jobs.
However, Mr Khan checked with a friend working in Bahrain, who told him that he could not locate the company here.
The Industry and Commerce Ministry confirmed that the company was not registered with it.
However, the ministry and Bahrain's security authority said they would only be able to take any action if a complaint was filed in India or Bahrain.
The group's website www.alnassunitedgroups.com claims it is a leading construction company launched in Bahrain in 1975. It says it is specialised in building high rise development, hotels, residential, commercial and industrial buildings, airport developments, stadiums and villa communities among others in the Arab region, Russia and across the globe.
It boasts of having more than 52,000 highly qualified staff and having completed prestigious projects in the Gulf.
The three contact numbers on the website are fax numbers and none can be reached directly.
The website has published the picture of His Majesty King Hamad and one of the links goes to a page showing the picture of Bahrain Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI) board member Habib Khalaf Yousif Hejair.
It claims that Mr Hejair, who denied any links to the company, was its chairman.
"This company has not been given a CR and so we can say that it does not exist here legally," said ministry company affairs director Ali Makki, who learnt about the website after it was brought to his attention by the GDN.
He contacted Mr Hejair and later told the GDN that he had nothing to do with it.
Mr Hejair said he was shocked after learning that his picture was being used by the website as part of a scheme to cheat innocent jobseekers.
"I am shocked. I saw my picture on this website and I have nothing to do with this company," he said.
"I think they got it from the BCCI website. They probably wanted to copy and paste the picture of Sameer Nass, managing director of the Nass Group that is similar to this fake company's name Alnass United Groups.
Meanwhile, Mr Nass said the Alnass United Groups had nothing to do with his company.
"They must have thought that they would use a name similar to the Nass Group because we are a reputed company. People should be careful of such scams."
Mr Khan, 25, said he learned about the company through an acquaintance who was also offered a job. He in turn referred the company to his cousin because the salary offered was very attractive.
All three men received confirmation from the company about their appointments, provided they paid Rs18,500 (BD155) to their agent in India.
"An Arab man, who introduced himself as the company's human resources manager Ahmed bin Hussain Abdulla, called me from Bahrain and spoke to me in Arabic and broken English," Mr Khan told. "He told me that I was selected after he saw my CV I had forwarded to the e-mail address on their website. He also e-mailed my appointment letter and employment contract which read that I would join the company on April 1 as an accountant with a monthly salary of BD450, in addition to food, accommodation and transportation.
"He then gave me numbers of his agent in Hyderabad whom I should pay for my visa and other charges. The man said my visa would be ready in 10 days. He also warned me that the company had received more than 1,500 CVs and I could lose the job if I didn't pay soon.
"I contacted the agent but got suspicious after he refused to give me his address and kept saying that he would come to me to collect the money. When I insisted on meeting him in his office, he switched off his phone.
"One of my brother's friends works in Bahrain and we checked with him.
"He told us that he could not find any company by this name in Bahrain."
The scam was exposed after three accountants in India were offered jobs by the Alnass United Groups, which does not have a Commercial Registration (CR).
Mohammed Abdul Aleem Khan, Mohammed Mohsen and Mohammed Imran, from Hyderabad, received their appointment letters and employment contracts a few days ago.
The company instructed them to pay a man representing it in India to confirm their jobs.
However, Mr Khan checked with a friend working in Bahrain, who told him that he could not locate the company here.
The Industry and Commerce Ministry confirmed that the company was not registered with it.
However, the ministry and Bahrain's security authority said they would only be able to take any action if a complaint was filed in India or Bahrain.
The group's website www.alnassunitedgroups.com claims it is a leading construction company launched in Bahrain in 1975. It says it is specialised in building high rise development, hotels, residential, commercial and industrial buildings, airport developments, stadiums and villa communities among others in the Arab region, Russia and across the globe.
It boasts of having more than 52,000 highly qualified staff and having completed prestigious projects in the Gulf.
The three contact numbers on the website are fax numbers and none can be reached directly.
The website has published the picture of His Majesty King Hamad and one of the links goes to a page showing the picture of Bahrain Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI) board member Habib Khalaf Yousif Hejair.
It claims that Mr Hejair, who denied any links to the company, was its chairman.
"This company has not been given a CR and so we can say that it does not exist here legally," said ministry company affairs director Ali Makki, who learnt about the website after it was brought to his attention by the GDN.
He contacted Mr Hejair and later told the GDN that he had nothing to do with it.
Mr Hejair said he was shocked after learning that his picture was being used by the website as part of a scheme to cheat innocent jobseekers.
"I am shocked. I saw my picture on this website and I have nothing to do with this company," he said.
"I think they got it from the BCCI website. They probably wanted to copy and paste the picture of Sameer Nass, managing director of the Nass Group that is similar to this fake company's name Alnass United Groups.
Meanwhile, Mr Nass said the Alnass United Groups had nothing to do with his company.
"They must have thought that they would use a name similar to the Nass Group because we are a reputed company. People should be careful of such scams."
Mr Khan, 25, said he learned about the company through an acquaintance who was also offered a job. He in turn referred the company to his cousin because the salary offered was very attractive.
All three men received confirmation from the company about their appointments, provided they paid Rs18,500 (BD155) to their agent in India.
"An Arab man, who introduced himself as the company's human resources manager Ahmed bin Hussain Abdulla, called me from Bahrain and spoke to me in Arabic and broken English," Mr Khan told. "He told me that I was selected after he saw my CV I had forwarded to the e-mail address on their website. He also e-mailed my appointment letter and employment contract which read that I would join the company on April 1 as an accountant with a monthly salary of BD450, in addition to food, accommodation and transportation.
"He then gave me numbers of his agent in Hyderabad whom I should pay for my visa and other charges. The man said my visa would be ready in 10 days. He also warned me that the company had received more than 1,500 CVs and I could lose the job if I didn't pay soon.
"I contacted the agent but got suspicious after he refused to give me his address and kept saying that he would come to me to collect the money. When I insisted on meeting him in his office, he switched off his phone.
"One of my brother's friends works in Bahrain and we checked with him.
"He told us that he could not find any company by this name in Bahrain."
