The European Union (EU) has issued warning to Pakistanis about a scam alert involving fraudulent embassy listings and misleading visa information.
Criminal groups are reportedly creating fake entries on Google Maps to deceive Pakistanis seeking visa or consular services.
Taking to X (formerly Twitter), the Delegation of the European Union to Pakistan stated that its “diplomatic missions in Islamabad have observed fake entries for Member States embassies in Google Maps, with misleading information about visa and consular appointments, including fake telephone numbers”.
What else did European Union say?
According to the EU, the border-free Schengen Area provides free movement to more than 400 million EU citizens, as well as to many non-EU nationals, businessmen, tourists or other persons legally present on the EU territory.
It also highlighted that the EU Delegation to Pakistan does not issue passports or visas as they are issued by the embassy and/or consulate of each individual member state.
Pakistani citizens require a Schengen visa for travelling in the Schengen area counties and a National visa for travelling to the EU member states outside the Schengen zone.
Of non-EU states, Iceland, Norway and Switzerland have joined the Schengen area and Liechtenstein is expected to join soon.
The Schengen visa entitles the visitor to enter one country and travel freely throughout the Schengen zone.
