Mumbai News: VFS Global Files Cyber Crime Complaint Over Fake Email Impersonating Travel Body, Targeting Embassies And Government Agencies

Mumbai: In a case of cyber impersonation and defamation, a senior official of VFS Global Services Pvt. Ltd. has filed a complaint with the West Region Cyber Police Station against an unidentified individual who allegedly used a fake email ID to malign the company’s reputation among Indian government agencies and foreign embassies.

According to the complaint, an email ID—unionoftravelagents.india@gmail.com—was created to impersonate a legitimate travel association and falsely claim that VFS Global was charging clients excess fees for visa appointments and processing.

The emails, which were sent to government departments including the Prime Minister’s Office, Ministry of External Affairs, Revenue Department, and Enforcement Directorate, alleged that part of the illicit fees were being routed to staff at foreign embassies in India.

The complaint was filed by Percy Russi Harwar, Senior Legal Advisor at VFS Global. He stated that the company first became aware of the issue on September 19, 2024, but initially dismissed it as a one-off prank, especially after discovering that no such officially registered organization as the “Union of Travel Agents of India” exists.

However, the situation escalated when, on May 3, 2025, the company's Chief Operating Officer Prabuddha Sen received an official email from the Austrian embassy in India flagging similar defamatory emails. This prompted the company to initiate legal action, suspecting that a competitor may be attempting to damage its global reputation and cause financial harm.

VFS Global is a global outsourcing and technology services company working with over 67 client governments across 160+ countries, facilitating visa and consular services. The Mumbai Cyber Cell has registered an FIR and launched an investigation into the matter. Police are currently trying to trace the identity of the person behind the fake email ID.