HIBAPRESS – Abdellatif Baraka
Obtaining a visa appointment for thousands of Moroccans is no longer a routine administrative procedure, but has turned into an unequal battle with hidden networks that have turned electronic booking platforms into a source of illegal profit. This reality raises more than one question mark about the fragility of digital systems and the limits of protecting citizens from organized exploitation.
In recent years, the complaints of those wishing to travel have intensified due to the "disappearance" of appointments within minutes, in exchange for the appearance of intermediaries offering them for sale at exorbitant prices. With each failed attempt, it is confirmed that the matter is no longer a coincidence or ordinary pressure on demand, but a criminal activity in itself, relying on piracy and systematic manipulation.
The dismantling of a criminal network specialized in the illegal acquisition of visa appointments in Casablanca has brought this file back to the forefront, revealing a side of the working mechanisms of what can be described as the "visa mafia". These networks are not content with exploiting technical loopholes, but rather rely on complex fraudulent plans, by creating fake digital identities and multiple accounts to penetrate booking platforms, and monopolize appointments as soon as they open.
The result was the deprivation of citizens of their legitimate right to access consular services, and the conversion of appointments into a digital commodity sold on the black market for amounts ranging from thousands of dirhams, in a clear exploitation of people's needs, especially students, patients, and those seeking job opportunities or family reunification.
The most dangerous aspect of this type of crime is not only the financial aspect, but also the risks it poses to trust in digitalization itself.
When electronic systems, which were put in place to facilitate procedures and combat brokerage, become a tool in the hands of fraudsters, this empties digital reforms of their content and opens the door to new forms of invisible corruption.
The file also sheds light on a shared responsibility that goes beyond the direct parties involved, to include the need to fortify electronic platforms, strengthen verification mechanisms, and intensify coordination between the concerned authorities, whether at the security or technical level, in order to protect personal data and ensure equal opportunities among citizens.
The issue of the "visa appointment mafia" in Casablanca is not just an isolated incident, but a clear warning that crime is keeping pace with the digital transformation and is investing in its loopholes. This requires a proactive approach that does not suffice with a reaction, but rather establishes secure digitalization, restores citizens' confidence in electronic procedures, and cuts off the path to digital illusion merchants.
