Riyadh: The Embassy of India in Saudi Arabia has issued a warning to Indian nationals about fraudulent attestation services, following reports of fake service providers operating in the country.

In an advisory, the embassy said that cases involving fraudulent attestation services had come to its notice and clarified that document attestation is handled exclusively by the embassy's consular officers through designated Indian Consular Application Centres operated by VFS Global and at consular camps organised by the embassy.

The embassy urged Indian nationals to obtain attestation services only through these authorised channels, emphasising that VFS Global is the only officially designated service provider for this purpose in Saudi Arabia.

Applicants can book appointments through the official VFS Global website, the embassy said, advising the community to remain alert and avoid unauthorised agents claiming to offer attestation services.

Similar Warning Issued in UAE

Meanwhile, Indian diplomatic missions in the UAE have also urged Indian nationals to exercise caution when dealing with visa and migration processing agencies offering overseas employment opportunities and residency permits.

The Embassy of India in Abu Dhabi and the Consulate General of India in Dubai and the Northern Emirates said they had received complaints from Indian nationals against certain visa and migration agencies operating outside India, including in the UAE.

According to the diplomatic missions, some agencies allegedly collected fees from applicants without delivering the promised services.

Indian nationals have been advised to verify the credentials of service providers before making payments and to rely only on authorised agencies and official channels for visa, migration and consular-related services.

The advisories highlight the importance of vigilance against fraudulent intermediaries and encourage Indian expatriates to verify information directly with the concerned Indian diplomatic missions.