How Are Algerians Protected From Fraud When Applying For A Visa

An expert in information technology, Othman Abdellouche, criticized what he called “the disaster” concerning the website of “VFS Global” the center for the reception of visa applications for France, which is located at the level of Algiers, in addition to the difficulty of access to it despite the many and continuous attempts.

VFS Global website, for example, shows the visa applicant from time to time an “error” page, which necessitates retrying to access it again, and it is often accessable after midnight.

More dangerous than this, according to Othman Abdellouche, the website does not prevent the selection of a new type of visa, despite the registration on the swebite “Visa France”, which led, according to him, to the loss of money by Algerians who mistakenly chose another type of visas on the website “VFS Global” after they paid the amount of 3750 DZD.

Dr. Abdellouche explained that the applicant for the short-term visa “tourist” from the website “Visa France”, after opening an e-mail and access, then fill out a form containing the required personal information, and after the completion of the process and confirm that the information is true, a copy of the three-page form in the form of a “PDF” for the visa application, in addition to a link confirming that his application was registered in the system “Visa France” and carries the explanatory number, accompanied by a “code bar” in addition to personal information.

All the documents to be brought on the deposit day are listed in the website and the concerned person must also withdraw another document from the Visa France website, which includes a payment of $ 3,750 to the VFS Global credit through the Algerian People’s Loan, according to the information expert, this amount is depleted in a mysterious way, as immediately after the first procedures we find the same visa applicant to open a second balance at the level of the “VFS Global” visa application to France.

“When choosing another type of non-short-term visa that was chosen at the first website, the second site does not preclude the choice, but approves it and sends a confirmation of approval and gives it the chosen appointment, although the confirmation that was sent by VFS Global does not contain the type of the new visa that is chosen by the registrar that differs from the visa on the first site, so that we can find another identification number, the name and surname of the applicant, his / her passport number, the date of the appointment, the timing of the appointment and a last digit marked “non-exclusive”.

Abdellouche wondered about the feasibility of establishing two separate offices to take the visa in Algeria, so as to facilitate the process of robbing Algerians money in a digital way but it is illegal and punishable by law.

“My knowledge of information made me place the method of booking visa dates by the Embassy of France, in the balance of punctuation was necessary for the working group to develop this program to take into account the information that was entered by the visa applicant at the first website “Visa France”.”

“If we take into consideration the information that was entered by the visa applicant at the first website to solve the problem, so that each applicant when he/she opens the second website, “VFS Global” and is asked to enter the first identification number that is granted to the website “Visa France” to determine the type of visa in the first website, and this prevents the attempt to circumvent”.