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Complaint against a fake overseas job agent? Five places Indian job seekers can report it

Tips · 2026-10-22 · 10 min read

If you want to file a complaint against a fake overseas job agent, start with the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA). Its Pravasi Bhartiya Sahayata Kendra (PBSK) helpline registers and follows up complaints, the Protector General of Emigrants (PGE) takes reports about fake or overcharging agents, and the MADAD portal lets you file a grievance online. If the agent promised an Australian visa, you can also report it to Australia anonymously through Border Watch.

This guide is for Indian professionals and tradespeople who paid an agent, or are being pushed to pay one, for a job in Australia or New Zealand. It covers which channel handles what, the evidence that makes a complaint useful, and how to get your job search back on track.

Five places to report a fake overseas job agent

Each channel below is run by the Indian or Australian government, and you can use more than one.

PBSK: the helpline that registers your complaint

PBSK was set up in 2008, when it was called the Overseas Workers Resource Centre. MEA describes its job as giving information on emigration and registering and following up complaints from migrant workers and their families.

The toll-free line, 1800 11 3090, is answered around the clock. A relative calling from outside India can use 011-26885021, which is chargeable. There is also WhatsApp on +91 74283 21144 and email at helpline@mea.gov.in.

PBSK supports callers in 11 languages: Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Marathi, Gujarati, Bengali, Oriya, Punjabi, Hindi and English.

The PGE: a written report against the agent

The Protector General of Emigrants is the registering authority for recruiting agents in India. Under Section 10 of the Emigration Act, 1983, no person or agency may work as a recruiting agent without a valid certificate from that office. An MEA advisory of 14 December 2023 lists pge@mea.gov.in, alongside PBSK, for reporting an overcharging or fake agent.

Write one clear email: who the agent is, what was promised, how much you paid, when and how. Attach the proof.

What happens next depends on the agent. MEA says that when it receives complaints against a registered recruiting agent, it serves a show-cause notice and directs the agency to settle the complaint; if the agency fails to, its registration certificate can be revoked. Our guide to recruiting agent service charges in India explains the Rs. 30,000 plus 18% GST ceiling, which helps you show exactly where an agent went over the line.

MADAD: a grievance you can track online

MADAD is MEA's online Consular Grievances Management System, launched on 21 February 2015. Members of the public register grievances on it directly, and MEA lists salary disputes and recruiting agent problems among the issues it handles. You can start from MEA's consular complaints and grievances page.

When the agent was never registered: the State police

Many people who lose money were never dealing with a recruiting agent in the legal sense. A "visa consultancy" with a smart office, an Instagram page or a WhatsApp number is not registered just because it looks busy.

For these cases, MEA says it refers complaints of illegal migration and human trafficking to the State police for investigation and prosecution. It received 1,541 such complaints in 2025. MEA also uploads information about illegal agents to the eMigrate portal, and by 9 April 2026 it had notified 3,505 of them.

Border Watch: telling Australia about a visa scam

The Australian High Commission in New Delhi says anyone promising a visa or permanent residency, or demanding a large upfront payment to "fast-track" an application, is running a scam. It says these can be reported anonymously through Australia's Border Watch Online Report.

The High Commission's scam safety page also lists the signs: contact through social media or WhatsApp, a promised job on arrival, large upfront payments, asking for your passport, telling you to lie, and claiming to be registered without a MARN or OMARA listing. There is only one official Australian Government provider of visas, the Department of Home Affairs.

Reporting to Border Watch does not replace a complaint in India. It tells Australian authorities about the operation; the Indian channels deal with the agent and your money.

How to file your complaint, step by step

1. Stop paying. Do not send a "final" fee to release a visa, a ticket or an offer letter.
2. Collect your proof. Save receipts, bank and UPI transfer records, chats, call logs, email addresses, the agent's office address, and any offer letter or "visa" they sent. Take screenshots before the agent deletes their profile.
3. Check the agent's status. Search the "List of active RA" on www.emigrate.gov.in, as MEA's advisory tells prospective emigrants to do. Note whether the name appears, so you can tell PBSK whether you dealt with a registered or an illegal agent.
4. Call PBSK on 1800 11 3090. Give the facts in the language you are most comfortable with and write down any complaint reference you are given.
5. Put it in writing. Email pge@mea.gov.in with your proof attached, or file a grievance on MADAD. If you live near Delhi, Lucknow, Hyderabad, Chennai, Patna or Kochi, a KPSK walk-in centre can help you in person.
6. Report the Australian side. If the agent promised an Australian visa or PR, file a Border Watch Online Report as well.
7. Keep a log. Note every date you called or wrote, who you spoke to and what was said.

If you are already in Australia or New Zealand

Some people discover the fraud only after they land: the job does not exist, or the "employer" wants money back from their wages. Visa holders and migrant workers in Australia have the same workplace rights as every other employee. Cashback schemes, where an employer unreasonably makes someone pay them for a job, are illegal, and so is paying an employer to sponsor you, including through salary deductions.

For workplace help in another language, call the Translating and Interpreting Service on 131 450 and ask them to call the Fair Work Ombudsman on 13 13 94. An employer cannot cancel your visa; only Home Affairs can grant, refuse or cancel visas.

In New Zealand, employers cannot charge you fees for a job or make you pay their recruitment costs, including indirectly through a third party. Immigration New Zealand's guide to protecting yourself from immigration scams explains how to check a visa with its Visa Verification service and which email domains are genuine.

Common mistakes after being cheated

• Waiting for the agent to "sort it out". Every week of waiting gives the agent time to close the office, change numbers and delete chats.
• Paying cash with no receipt. The December 2023 advisory says a recruiting agent must issue a receipt. Without one, proving what you paid is much harder.
• Dealing with a sub-agent. MEA advises asking to see the agent's original Registration Certificate and not dealing with sub-agents, who are not permitted under the Emigration Act, 1983.
• Handing over your passport. The High Commission names this as a scam sign, and Scamwatch advises never sending your passport or identity documents unless you are certain the other side is genuine.
• Going along with a lie. If an agent tells you to enter Australia on a visitor visa and work, or to give false details, refuse. You cannot work on a visitor visa, and people who commit visa fraud through a scam agent risk refusal or cancellation and a ban from Australia of up to 10 years.
• Paying someone else to recover the money. The channels in this guide are run by MEA and the Australian Government; you do not need a middleman to use them, and PBSK's main line is toll free.

Getting back on track after a fake agent

A bad agent does not end your plan for Australia or New Zealand. Genuine sponsored roles are filled by employers, and the visa decision sits with Home Affairs or Immigration New Zealand, not with an intermediary. In Australia, a person giving immigration assistance must be a registered migration agent, a legal practitioner or an exempt person, and registered agents appear on the OMARA register with a MARN.

Before you apply again, read how employer sponsorship really works in our planning guides to Australia's Skills in Demand visa (subclass 482) and New Zealand's Accredited Employer Work Visa. If an agent is selling a place in a random draw, our article on Work and Holiday visa ballot scams in India shows why no one can buy you a selection.

MigrateJobs is a job platform: you apply to the employer, and there is no fee to apply. Sponsored roles such as IT and technology jobs in Australia and New Zealand state their terms on the ad itself. When you apply, send a clear, Australian-style CV; Build AI CV can help you shape your experience into one, so you are dealing with employers directly rather than through a middleman.

Frequently asked questions

Can I complain about an agent who is not registered at all?

Yes. You can still call PBSK, write to the PGE or file on MADAD, and MEA says it refers complaints of illegal migration and human trafficking to the State police for investigation and prosecution.

Is there a fee to call the PBSK helpline?

The number 1800 11 3090 is toll free within India and answered around the clock. Family members calling from abroad use the chargeable number 011-26885021, and WhatsApp and email are also available.

Will a complaint get my money back?

Nobody can promise that. For a registered agent, MEA says the agency is directed to settle the complaint and can lose its registration certificate if it does not. For an illegal agent the case becomes a police matter, and your receipts and chat records decide how far it can go.

Who do I report to if the agent promised an Australian visa?

Report the agent in India through PBSK or the PGE, and also tell Australian authorities through the Border Watch Online Report, which the High Commission says can be used anonymously. Only the Department of Home Affairs issues Australian visas.

What if the job offer was for New Zealand?

Use the same Indian channels for the agent. Immigration New Zealand warns that job offer scams are common in India and South Asia, and it says employers cannot charge you fees for a job, even indirectly through a third party.

Key takeaways

• Call PBSK on 1800 11 3090 first: it registers and follows up complaints, in 11 languages.
• Write to pge@mea.gov.in or file on MADAD so there is a written record with your proof attached.
• Unregistered agents are still worth reporting: MEA refers illegal migration complaints to the State police.
• Report promises of an Australian visa or PR through Border Watch, anonymously if you prefer.
• Stop paying, keep every receipt and chat, and never hand your passport to an agent.

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