Online Job Fraud Victim Agent

Hi This is with regards to a friend of mine who got in touch with a US based recruitment firm hiring farm workers for Canada. They did not demand any payment initially and said only processing fee as and when required needed to be paid. He arranged for 21 candidates for whom he paid the required fee from time to time. Each time they did send him the receipts and the required documents. In the final stages along with the forms he was also asked to deposit the original passport of the candidates to their representative in Delhi which he did. Post the same, they asked for visa processing fee to be paid in cash which he did not do. In the interim they asked medical to be done for the candidates. For the same, he requested the passports to be returned as it is mandatory for the test. Now they refuse to return the same and are asking for the payment to be deposited in an unknown account. Earlier also he was asked to deposit payments in unknown accounts which he had done against documents and receipts received. Now the issue is what is the recourse to secure the passports back. He is willing to get fresh passports made for all the candidates, however is scared that any FIR by any of the candidate against him would lead to his arrest. Also wants to know the action he needs to initiate so as to ensure that he is not arrested for the same. Although he was involved in the process, he himself has been cheated Your prompt advise is requested as he has less than a day to act with 1-2 candidates threatening to lodge FIR against him Please note, he is also willing to take all the monetary loss upon himself and pay all the candidates and also make necessary payment for issue of new passport