Fake recruitment agencies and individuals have come under the police radar following complaints that prospective candidates were being taken for a ride and swindled. Riyadh police has issued strict warning to such individuals stating that they would be treated as criminals and put behind bars.

Col. Fawaz Al-Maiman, spokesman for Riyadh police, said security forces have already started tracking down persons involved in the racket. Police stations would immediately swing into action if someone lodges a complaint about persons claiming that they could secure employment for a fee.

The statement comes in the wake of warnings issued by the Ministry of Civil Service to all job applicants who receive calls or text messages from unknown persons claiming they are members of the ministry’s committees and asking for data and information, promising to get them employment.

Al-Maiman said the police department was coordinating with the ministry to track down the fraudulent persons. Some head-hunting institutions and individuals are also being checked, and are constantly under surveillance. There have been instances of these fraudulent persons taking a commission of SR1,000 from desperate candidates and then putting on the vanishing act, he said, adding that it the practice was not widely prevalent in the Kingdom.

He called on all citizens to check the identity and licenses of the person calling them and offering to get them jobs.

Faisal Al-Enzi, manager of Al-Faisal Recruiting Agency, commenting on the issue, said such people don’t have any conscience and deceive citizens who are badly in need of a job. “A number of Saudi youths came to my office and complained about the matter,” he said, adding that all job applicants should contact authorized offices for further verification.

Speaking about the credibility of recruitment agencies, Al-Enzi said: “Regulated recruitment offices are authorized by the Ministry of Labor, and work under its umbrella. The Ministry has already closed a number of these offices for irregularities.”

He said that there are 700 jobs available in the private sector at his desk designated for Saudi youths. The salaries vary from one firm to another starting from SR2,500 to SR22,000, depending on qualification and experience of the applicant.

“The Ministry of Labor and the Human Resources Fund can complement the effort of private recruitment offices,” Al-Enzi said, and urged government bodies working on the promotion of Saudization to partner with recruitment offices to secure jobs for Saudi citizens, since these offices have the expertise and specialization needed for the task.

Abdul Aziz Al-Khonain, spokesman for the Civil Service Ministry had earlier warned about fraudulent persons calling up job applicants or sending them text messages, with claims that they could get them a job for a fee.

Al-Khonain tweeted on the issue saying that the Ministry of Civil Service has all the data of job applicants within its “Jadarah” system. More than 300,000 Saudi women, all university graduates, had applied for jobs on the system.