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Fraud/ They pay thousands of euros for a residence permit, are stopped at the border

2026-03-12 22:19:00, Denoncim CNA

Fraud/ They pay thousands of euros for a residence permit, are stopped at the

Two Albanian citizens living in Athens accuse a fellow Albanian of defrauding them by promising to provide them with regular residence documents. According to them, the person who presented himself as an employee at the foreigners' offices in Athens, Rigels Alikaj, took thousands of euros from them without carrying out the promised procedures.

One of the complainants says that Rigels claimed that he could issue them residence permit documents within three weeks. Initially, he asked for 5,000 euros, but the couple gave him about 3,300 euros. According to her, he refused to sign a document confirming the receipt of the money, arguing that the payment was in the black. The only evidence they have is a photo of his passport. After a year, Alikaj arranged a meeting for her to give her fingerprints in Athens. After this procedure, he cut off all contact.

"My husband met an Albanian named Rigels Alikaj. He claimed to work in the foreigners' offices in Athens and that he could issue the documents within three weeks. We gave him 3,300 euros. At first he asked for 5,000 euros, but we said "no". We are talking about December 2022. He showed us the files he had with him. We have met him here twice, he came here to the island where I live. In hand. We claimed a signed letter that the person was receiving so much money, he said that he could not do it, because it is black money. And at this moment, my husband says to him, that "since you cannot sign a document that you are receiving so much money from us, can you give me a photo of your passport".

It's the only evidence we have at the moment. The first year he did nothing, the second year he canceled an appointment for fingerprints. I went to Athens and on the day I gave my fingerprints, he hung up the phone and disappeared. In the letter, where my details were supposed to be, that the answer would be returned to me, he had given his own details, or most likely false ones, an e-mail, a phone number, an address, and I had no connection with the immigration office. Unfortunately, I don't even have the answer. My lawyer told me that I definitely need to find this e-mail to see the reason why I was rejected.

We have asked all those who have applied like us and no one knows where he is. We have reported him here on the island, but there is no movement. I would really like the e-mail, the first of the job and to return my money back, because it is not that he did not only do my documents, but also burned me. For another five years I cannot apply and he should stop deceiving the poor Albanians, because they are working for bread", says the citizen.

Another Albanian citizen claims to have been deceived by the same person. He says that Alikaj promised him regular documents for his wife, but after months of waiting, he stopped communicating and hung up the phone.

According to him, Alikaj had received around 3,500 euros and then sold the house he lived in. He adds that the document given to his wife proved invalid when she attempted to travel across the border.

"We were interested in getting us the right documents. I'll get you the right documents, he told me, after six months he'll give me his fingerprints (wife). Wait six months, wait a year, turn off the phone, take away everything he had. I knew where his house was, I went to his house, he sold the house there, because he had his own. He was going to get the documents, but he made the bride have a Greek cohabitant, it sounds like she was cohabiting with a Greek. The bride fled to Albania with that document and at customs they told her that it doesn't pass with that. I didn't know at all that it was cohabitation, brother, I knew it was with a residence permit. He took 3500 euros. He may have taken over 100 or so families on his shoulders. They were deceived like my job", said another citizen./ Tv Klan