Mumbai: Fake letter blows lid off airline recruitment scam

The letter promised the recipient a job as ground staff with a popular airline. Representation pic

Mid-day recently came across a forged IndiGo ground staff appointment letter bearing the letterhead of the Airports Authority of India (AAI). Officials warn of a burgeoning scam. The forged letter, dated July 27, meticulously crafted to appear authentic, was brought to this reporter's notice by an applicant. The letter states, "We are pleased to offer you an appointment in our organisation as Ground staff. You will be based in Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport. The date of your training would be August 1, 2024, and your date of joining would be August 21, 2024. In Mumbai, Maharashtra. (sic)"

The letter also states, "You will be on training for an initial period of 21 days and on probation for a period of one month following successful completion of training. Your transition from trainee to probation will be based on your appraisal at the end of the period of training."

The fake letter on a letterhead of the Airports Authority of India

The applicant told mid-day, "I received this appointment letter after paying Rs 5,500 to take an examination and for other purposes. I was sceptical as it was not sent across via email and bears an AAI letterhead but it should have an IndiGo letterhead and have been sent via email."

When questioned about the letter, AAI officials told mid-day that the letter should not have had an AAI letterhead.

The public relations officer of AAI said, "This is a potential scam. Since the letter was not brought to our notice by the recipient, we were not aware of the same."
He also disclosed that this issue was not just confined to Mumbai but was a pan-India scam and the AAI has been raising awareness regarding it among the masses.

"We are deeply troubled by such fraudulent activities and are taking all the necessary measures to prevent further occurrences," said an AAI official. "Job seekers must remain vigilant and verify the authenticity of any job offer they receive," he added.

Asked about the letter, IndiGo said it had not issued any such letter in the applicant's name.

IndiGo said in a statement, "To avoid scams, please note that all legitimate offer letters will come from email IDs ending with @goindigo.in. Additionally, IndiGo never charges any fees for interviews and recruitment.

We are actively working to raise awareness about this issue across our various customer touchpoints. For verification of job postings or to check the authenticity of any communication, please visit our official careers page."

July 27
Day the forged letter of appointment was dated