Fake Belgian work contracts at center of expanding fraud investigation

Police in Tangier have intensified their investigation into an alleged international fraud network accused of scamming dozens of Moroccans seeking employment opportunities in Belgium through fake work contracts worth millions of dirhams.

According to Hespress AR sources familiar with the case, the investigation was launched following direct instructions from the Prosecutor General at the Tangier Court of Appeal after receiving a growing number of complaints from alleged victims. Authorities continue to receive new reports related to what prosecutors suspect was a coordinated fraud scheme.

Investigators believe the network operated between Morocco, Belgium, and the United Kingdom, using a migration and travel services office in Tangier as a base for recruiting clients. The suspects allegedly advertised employment opportunities abroad through social media, promising to secure work contracts in Belgium in exchange for substantial fees.

Victims reportedly paid around MAD 120,000 ($12,000) per contract, only to later discover that many of the documents they received contained signs of forgery or had no legal validity.

According to the same sources, the suspects promoted their services through promotional videos highlighting successful migration cases and presenting the agency as a trusted intermediary. Clients were initially asked to pay a deposit ranging between MAD 30,000 and MAD 40,000, either in cash or by bank transfer, in return for payment receipts and service agreements outlining the promised employment arrangements.

Several weeks later, victims were allegedly informed that their applications had been registered on a Belgian digital platform referred to as “BelgianID Pro,” prompting requests for a second payment of MAD 30,000. They were then provided with registration certificates and later received final employment contracts for signature and return.

However, several victims reportedly discovered inaccuracies in the contracts, including incorrect personal and professional information.

According to the sources, concerns intensified when some applicants submitted their files to Belgian consular authorities and learned that their cases had been forwarded to Belgium’s immigration office for verification, raising questions about the authenticity of the procedures.

When victims later contacted the company that was supposedly issuing the employment contracts, company representatives reportedly stated that they had received only a small portion of the funds paid by applicants. They also claimed that several contracts were forged, that consular appointments had been canceled, and that other documents provided by the intermediary had no connection to the company.

After attempting to recover their money, victims discovered that the Tangier-based agency had shut down its office and that its managers had disappeared. The principal suspect is believed to have left Morocco for Belgium before later traveling to the United Kingdom.

The number of alleged victims is expected to rise as more complaints emerge.

Those affected have filed formal complaints alleging fraud, breach of trust, forgery of official documents, and the use of forged documents. They are calling on authorities to question suspects who remain in Morocco, pursue legal action against those involved, and secure compensation for the financial and moral damages they claim to have suffered.