Medical students scammed out of thousands of dollars

A scam where overseas medical students were made to pay thousands of dollars and had to come back due to the course not proceeding as planned has come to light.

Students who were studying medicine for the first time and those that wanted to specialize had to come back from Sri Lanka, Malaysia and Philippines. 

Zeed International Maldives is the alleged company to have conducted the same, with them taking USD 40,000 in tuition fees from some students when the actual amount is USD 10,000.

H & Associates LLP Managing Partner and lawyer Ibrahim Hafiz has told Mihaaru News that the scam came to light when a student was deported. The law firm will be working on this case for the students free of charge.

Hafiz has said that when they looked into why the student who had gone to the Philippines to specialize had been deported, they had found out that there are other students who are stuck in the country due to the scam. 15 students have had to return after making their payments to Zeed International, said Hafiz.

"These 15 doctors had worked in Maldives and left to become specialists. They were sent to the Philippines within a short amount of time, citing that there would be a test they'd have to take in order to work as a doctor there," as per Hafiz.

"They had paid USD 1,500 as a fee to take the test before leaving Maldives. When they had arrived in the Philippines, it was revealed that the agency didn't even take the necessary steps for them to undergo the test, so they couldn't even sit for it. The test also costs USD 20."

Hafiz has stated that the agency had taken three year's worth of tuition fees, totaling USD 40,000 with an agreement having been made as well. However, Hafiz said that the actual payable amount to the university is USD 10,000.

"These are kids who have gone to Philippines. When these stories were posted on Facebook, parents of other students who were to go study overseas started contacting me. These are people who had suspected that the agency was running a scam and had gone through with every step of the process except for the payment," stated Hafiz.

Hafiz also said that Zeed International has also been operating under various different names in Maldives.

Information about the students disclosed to the law firm: 

Hafiz has ascertained that the agency operates out of the Cricket Board of Maldives office, where they meet with students and show them presentations concerning their services. Even now, there are various advertisements marketing their services meant to draw students in, as per Hafiz.

Zeed International was registered in Maldives in 2023. Shareholders of the company include Cricket Board Member Abdulla Imdan Ismail, Mohamed Raaee Imad and Aminath Shaheeda.

However, it is unclear whether they are involved in the agency's scams.

H & Associates has called on the police, Ministry of Higher Education and the Sports Ministry to investigate the matter.