Journalist and whistleblower Sarah Gonzalez from Texas has come up with another revelation and this time about how alleged fraudsters are recruiting people in the US and illegally taking a portion of their salaries in India.
In her most recent YouTube video, Gonzalez said she has come across so-called recruiters dropping their phone numbers on social media platforms, asking F-1 students to call them to get their OPT extension. Most of these numbers have an Indian code, Gonzalez said, adding that her video producer was undercover and called one of these numbers to learn more about the operation. The STEM OPT extension allows some international students in the United States to work longer after graduation if they complete a degree in a STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) field.
It is an extension of the regular OPT (Optional Practical Training) program, which allows a student to work in the United States for three years – the first year as regular OPT (optional practical training) and the second and third years are extendable.
Gonzalez said they called Rakesh Jonnalagadda from a regular phone pretending to be an Indian student looking for an extension to the occupied Palestinian territories. It turns out that Jonnalagadda works for Exito Tech INC, an electronically verified company based in Michigan, who can offer jobs to Indian students and also promises an H-1B visa.
The parent company of this Exito is Loggin In Tech Inc.An amount of $1000 will be required for the offer letter and there will be a 70-30 transaction for the monthly salary – 70% will go to the employee and 30% to Rakesh’s company. It was explained to the confidential caller that he would receive a salary of $2,100 per month – in two $900 checks and the remaining $300 would go to the IRS.These people never asked about the applicant’s experience or resume, and came to submit a letter on the spot, Gonzalez said. She also emphasized that according to USCIS laws, no one can take any percentage of the salary of a STEM-OPT student or even H-1B visa holders.