Student-Fraud Scheme: International Sports Fraud Swindles One Lakh Rupees from a Khyber Athlete

 

 

In a worrisome trend of fake schemes aiming at gullible and young students willing to bet for opportunities abroad, a new fall guy, a teen-age athlete from Khyber, fell prey for promises of sporting in the lands of Romania. The sport scheme was actually disguised and used as an opportunity to give them the status of player to represent Pakistan at international levels student games; this will ultimately leave an athlete's career uncertain as well, after having gone through big loss financially.

The athlete, whose hope of playing sports overseas was dashed, had paid a hefty sum of one lakh rupees under the false pretense of being selected for sports events in Romania. The money was handed over to a contact based in Karachi, who, according to the athlete, had connections to prominent figures in the sports world.

The situation started with the approach by a figure known in the sports circles, who told the athlete that he had already arranged for a slot for them to compete in an international event in Romania. Heeding this endorsement from a "sports personality," the athlete remitted the money to a Karachi-based representative who promised to take care of all arrangements, including travel and visa documentation. This made him and the family believe that in no more than a few months he would be abroad to take part in some international contest.

However, with over a year gone by now, there was no materialization of that chance. Phone calls from the athlete did not get replied and the Karachi-based person couldn't be reached back even after sending numerous e-mails. Helpless and desperate, he requested a refund, but for those excuses:.

The scammer continued to claim that the visa for the athlete could not be processed since they had already missed the "Student Games" deadline, although he was not willing to produce any of the official documents or receipts for the payment he claimed was made. In a weird twist, no documents, including the visa application and all other required documents, were ever presented to the athlete, and all efforts at clarifying were ignored.

With time, the athlete would realize that he was not alone. There were a number of students who fell into the same trap when promised international sports opportunities that never presented themselves. Many of the students had paid big money for a chance to play abroad only to sit in the dark.

It was an irony of some sort that the people, based in Karachi, managing this scam seemed to find a certain level of cover from some influential sports personalities, as if turning a blind eye or doing nothing serious. Pakistan Sports Board and provincial sports authorities are guilty of failing to investigate such wrongdoings. The Pakistan Olympic Association (POA) as well is not beyond accountability for the failure to exercise duties towards its member associations.

Rather than being proactive about preventing students from being taken advantage of, these groups have allowed sports-related fraud to become an increasingly successful business, disguised under the guise of "student sports events." Now that these individuals are seeking ways to regain their money, they want to ensure this never happens to anyone again by having someone held accountable and tighter regulation.

 

The Khyber athlete is no exception, for nothing is left but frustration and a loss of finance in this case. Their international competition dreams are shattered into smithereens, while hard-earned money disappears in the pockets of fraudsters. The real question that remains is how many more students are to be victimized by this exploitation before it calls for action?

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