The phenomenon of "coastal brokers" in the provinces of Latakia and Tartous on the Syrian coast has sparked strong dissatisfaction and condemnation. Young people are being subjected to scams and fraud. The methods used by these groups involve offering fake job opportunities to young men on board commercial ships. They secure false employment contracts on dilapidated and unfit vessels for sailing.

Instead of genuine maritime employment opportunities, these deceivers extract large sums of money from aspiring workers, using social media platforms such as WhatsApp and Facebook. They also establish unlicensed fake offices to carry out these fraudulent operations.

The Ministry of Transport has issued a warning to young people, urging them not to engage with these fraudulent networks and to stay away from them. They also encouraged young people to file the necessary complaints to combat this widespread phenomenon in the two provinces and to report any cases of fraud related to this matter to the General Directorate of Ports.

On its part, the Directorate of Ports stressed that it is not responsible for providing maritime job opportunities. Its responsibility is limited to regulating the documents of seafarers and maritime licenses. The Director-General of Ports stated that any reported case of fraud is referred to the relevant authorities for investigation and appropriate legal action.