Over Rs. 194.5 million recovered and refunded to foreign employment scam victims: SLBFE
March 17, 2026 07:16 pm
The Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment (SLBFE) states that during the five-month period from October 2025 to February 2026, legal action was initiated against individuals and unlicensed foreign employment agencies involved in fraudulent scams falsely promising overseas employment opportunities, with over Rs. 194.5 million recovered and refunded to affected victims.
A special unit comprising police officers was established within the Bureau in September 2025 to strengthen legal action against foreign employment fraudsters, based on the initiative of Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Employment Arun Hemachandra.
Accordingly, a total of 244 cases have been filed before courts against foreign employment fraudsters during the past five months, while the SLBFE has received a total of 2,081 complaints within the same period.
Furthermore, the Bureau’s Special Investigation Division conducted 19 raids, leading to the arrest of 88 individuals involved in such fraudulent activities. Among those arrested were three individuals affiliated with licensed foreign employment agencies.
The Bureau further noted an increasing trend of fraudsters operating via social media platforms, falsely promising employment opportunities in countries such as Israel, South Korea, Japan, Romania, and several Middle Eastern countries.
In this regard, the SLBFE urges the public to refrain from making payments or providing personal documents to such individuals without prior verification from the Bureau.
The public is also requested to report any individuals engaged in such fraudulent activities to the Bureau’s Special Investigation Division via ‘0112882228’ or its 24-hour hotline on ‘1989’.
