The department’s data shows that there has been a rise in the number of outsourcing fraud cases in the second quadrimester (midNovember to mid-March) as compared to the first quadrimester (mid-July to mid-November).

A total of 637 fraud cases was reported at the department in the first four months including 363 agent-based and 265 agencies-based frauds. The number of fraud cases went up by 11 between mid-November and midMarch touching 648.

According to the department, Bhadra (mid-August to mid-September) witnessed highest number of fraud cases ­­ 238 ­­ in the two-decade long Nepali outsourcing history. There were 153 fraud cases registered against agents and 85 cases against outsourcers.

Outsourcing fraud significantly fell in Ashwin (midSeptember to mid-October) and Kartik (mid-October to mid-November) with 103 and 81 cases registered at the department respectively.

However, the trend did not last for long. Mangsir -the first month of the second quadrimester — witnessed 172 fraud cases followed by Poush (156), Magh (161) and Falgun (159). Fraud cases against agents have dominated the foreign employment fraud scene with 778 cases in the last eight months.

According to the department, in the last eight months, fraud worth Rs 763.76 million was committed while 102 cases claiming compensation worth Rs 329.87 million have been forwarded to the Foreign Employment Tribunal. The department has solved 1,183 cases providing a compensation of Rs 433.89 million to the victim migrant workers.