ISLAMABAD: The European Union (EU) delegation in Islamabad has expressed serious concern over the presence of fraudulent entries on Google Maps impersonating EU Member States embassies.
EU announced Friday on its social media handle that these fake entries contain misleading information about visa and consular services, including fake telephone numbers and appointment details, potentially exploiting innocent individuals/visa seekers.
The EU diplomatic mission has termed this as a “serious scam” orchestrated by criminal organizations to deceive the public. EU’s announcement reads such activities not only compromise individuals seeking legitimate consular services but also pose risks of financial exploitation and data breach.
The delegation stressed that authentic and reliable information about visa and consular matters is available exclusively on the official websites of the EU Member States embassies/missions. EU, however, advised the citizens not to rely on information from Google Maps or other online directories for embassy contact details or appointment booking.
The EU delegation has called upon Pakistani authorities to probe the sensitive matter and take stern action against the perpetrators behind this fraudulent scam. Furthermore, EU has encouraged digital platforms such as Google to promptly remove the fake listings and implement stricter verification measures for sensitive information related to diplomatic missions.
“Visa seekers are advised to verify the authenticity of information directly from official embassy websites”, the mission emphasized.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2024
Comments
Comments are closed.