Authorities probe fraud network behind fake Portugal work visas

Judicial investigations led by the Agadir police, under the direction of the public prosecutor at the city’s Court of First Instance, have taken a new turn involving two civil servants from a notary department who were victims of an elaborate immigration scam involving fake job contracts for Portugal.

According to informed sources, the employees, fearing legal repercussions, eventually withdrew their complaints after being defrauded by the director of a student mediation center. The woman allegedly acted as an intermediary between a Moroccan migrant, a Brazilian-Portuguese lawyer, and local agents.

The victims had notarized dozens of debt acknowledgments disguised as “agreements”, which obligated the intermediary to refund payments if the promised work contracts failed to materialize.

The scam unraveled when multiple complaints were filed with the public prosecutor in Agadir. The intermediary reportedly issued bounced checks to victims as guarantees.

However, Portuguese consular authorities later clarified, in documents obtained by Hespress AR, that the job offers were linked to fictitious companies with no real activity.

The police have since expanded their investigation, questioning victims and the intermediary, and examining the involvement of a Portuguese lawyer who visited Morocco multiple times to coordinate fake employment arrangements with local brokers.

Investigators uncovered that victims were encouraged to recruit new candidates in exchange for discounted fees. In some cases, they issued checks on behalf of family or friends as collateral.

The victims, engineers, nurses, traders, and banking professionals, were lured by promises of high salaries, housing, transportation, and full social and health insurance coverage for themselves and their families. Many paid in cash directly to the intermediary’s relatives rather than through formal banking channels.

Authorities also uncovered fraudulent documents submitted in visa applications, including fake training certificates issued by a private vocational institute. Victims who paid over 10,000 MAD per certificate were later told their diplomas were invalid. Some were offered partial refunds in exchange for withdrawing complaints.

The scandal has raised concerns over the integrity of job placement services and visa processing in Morocco. It also underscores the vulnerability of professionals and skilled workers to increasingly sophisticated immigration fraud schemes exploiting the dream of better opportunities abroad.

Investigations are ongoing, with further legal action expected as authorities track down accomplices and examine the full scope of the network.