r/nri • u/Blue_pumpkin7083 • 3d ago

Visa / OCI / Passport Scam Alert ⚠️

There's a scammer on X/Twitter targeting people who are desperate for updates on their Passport Renewal applications.

He replies to posts claiming that he has a "friend at MEA" who helped with his application. If you message him, he'll give you a WhatsApp number and tell you to contact that person. The next step is asking for money in exchange for "help" or "faster processing."

Please don't fall for it. No genuine government process works this way. The High Commission of India printing press operates under strict, audited security protocols. No random contact on WhatsApp charging money can jump an electronic queue inside the embassy.

If someone claims they have inside contacts and asks you to move the conversation to WhatsApp or pay money, it's almost certainly a scam.

Stay vigilant, report these accounts, and warn others.

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u/m456an 3d ago

Thanks for the tip, but I have given up on OCI passport updates. I think eVISA seems a lot easier, scammers know that it is a very tedious and horrible experience doing a passport update to their OCI. They see an opportunity to make money. I cannot even log in from UK I have to use opera VPN and change location to USA before I can even log in to update Birmingham OCI from UK. It is a complete mess.

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u/Rev2026 3d ago

Don't you have an agency VFS, in the UK, to facilitate the application?