Lead National Consultant (National Assessment on Online Fraud and Fraudulent Recruitment Practices)
- Organisation: International Organization for Migration
- Location: Dushanbe, Tajikistan
- Contract: Consultant
- Deadline: 19 November 2026
Introduction
Established in 1951, IOM is a Related Organization of the United Nations and the leading UN agency in the field of migration. Working closely with governmental, intergovernmental and non-governmental partners, IOM promotes humane and orderly migration for the benefit of all. It saves lives and protects people on the move, drives solutions to displacement, and facilitates pathways for regular migration, while providing services and advice to governments and migrants.
IOM is committed to fostering a respectful, inclusive and supportive workplace where all employees can thrive professionally and feel valued. By creating such an environment, IOM aims to better harness the full potential of migration and strengthen its support to people on the move.
IOM invites candidates from diverse backgrounds to apply and provides reasonable accommodation throughout the recruitment process when required. Learn more about IOM’s workplace culture at IOM workplace culture | International Organization for Migration
Project Context and Scope
This consultancy contributes to the implementation of two IOM projects in Tajikistan: the “Central Asia Safe Migration” project funded by the UK Integrated Security Fund (ISF), which aims to reduce migrants’ vulnerability to exploitation, recruitment fraud, and unsafe migration while supporting sustainable reintegration for returning migrants across Central Asia; and “Tajikistan: Enhancing the Detection and Prevention of Online Recruitment Fraud and Digital Risks Targeting Migrants”, funded by the IOM Development Fund (IOMDF), which seeks to strengthen the detection and prevention of online labour recruitment fraud and related digital risks affecting migrants in Tajikistan.
The Lead National Consultant will be responsible for the overall coordination, analytical direction, and production of the National Assessment on Online Fraud and Fraudulent Recruitment Practices in Tajikistan. Working closely with the Secondary National Consultant and under the guidance of IOM National Project Officers, the Lead National Consultant will ensure that all research components are integrated into a coherent and evidence-based assessment that examines the risks of online fraud affecting prospective migrants and the effectiveness of existing prevention and response mechanisms.
The assessment will be structured around two complementary thematic pillars:
(1) Legal, Organisational, and Institutional Analysis , which will examine the legal, regulatory, and institutional environment responsible for labour migration, recruitment practices, digital platforms, online fraud, and victim protection in the Republic of Tajikistan. This component will assess the roles, responsibilities, capacities, and coordination mechanisms of relevant government institutions, law enforcement agencies, recruitment intermediaries, civil society organizations, and private-sector actors. It will also identify legislative, regulatory, and operational gaps that may enable fraudulent recruitment practices to persist.
(2) Individual Behavioural Analysis , which will explore the social, behavioural, and informational factors that influence migrants' vulnerability to fraudulent recruitment schemes and online scams. This component will examine how prospective migrants access recruitment opportunities and migration-related information, their perceptions of risk, decision-making processes, and the tactics commonly used by fraudsters to gain trust and exploit vulnerabilities.
The Lead National Consultant will take primary responsibility for the desk research and analysis under the first pillar and will provide technical oversight and analytical support to the Secondary National Consultant for the second pillar. The Lead National Consultant will also collaborate in the design of research tools, contribute to the analysis of qualitative interview data collected from prospective migrants and key informants, and ensure that primary research findings are systematically integrated into desk-based evidence.
Drawing on both pillars, the Lead National Consultant will lead on the delivery of a final assessment report and final mapping report, including the identification of prevalent fraud typologies, recruitment scam tactics, institutional response challenges, and emerging risk patterns.
The findings of the report will be compiled and will provide practical and actionable recommendations to strengthen institutional capacities, improve inter-agency coordination, enhance information-sharing mechanisms and support more effective responses to online fraud targeting migrants. The report will inform subsequent capacity-development and technical assistance activities under the project and will be shared with relevant government counterparts, including the Interagency Task Force on Fraud Prevention established under IOM's UK Integrated Security Fund-funded migration programming. Recommendations will also address measures to strengthen the functioning of the Task Force, improve data-sharing arrangements and facilitate rapid and coordinated responses to emerging online fraud threats.
Organizational Department / Unit to which the Consultant is contributing
Cross-departmental: Migrant Solutions Unit / Migrant Protection and Assistance Unit
Tasks to be performed under this contract
Under the direct supervision of the National Project Officers and overall supervision of the Chief of Mission, and in collaboration with project staff based in IOM Tajikistan office, the successful candidate will be responsible and accountable for the overall delivery of a National Assessment Report on Online Fraud and Fraudulent Recruitment Practices in Tajikistan and complementary Mapping Report on Existing Mechanisms for Detecting, Preventing and Responding to Online Fraud Affecting Migrants. The outputs will be delivered on a two-instalment payment basis.
Deliverables
Tasks
# of working days and timelines
Instalment
Deliverable 1 :
Comprehensive Desk Research
• Finalize assessment methodology with IOM and other relevant stakeholders.
• Conduct a comprehensive desk review of the legal, policy, regulatory, and institutional frameworks governing labour migration, recruitment, and online fraud in Tajikistan.
• Map the online recruitment ecosystem, including key public, private, and third sector stakeholders involved in recruitment, migration governance, digital platforms, and fraud prevention.
• Map current fraud detection, prevention and prosecution mechanisms in Tajikistan, identifying gaps, challenges and best practices among government and relevant actors.
• Undertake a stakeholder analysis, assessing mandates, roles, capacities, coordination mechanisms, and gaps relevant to the prevention and response to online recruitment fraud.
• Conduct stakeholder consultations (if necessary)
• Compile a Desk Study and Stakeholder Analysis Report in Tajik/Russian , including a preliminary analytical framework to guide the assessment.
10 days within W1-W3
40%
Deliverable 2 :
Draft Assessment Report Based on Desk Research
• Review and integrate findings from the Secondary National Consultant's desk review on the social, behavioural, and contextual drivers of online fraud and recruitment scams in Tajikistan to the First Draft Assessment Report.
• Identify preliminary trends, vulnerabilities, risk factors, and institutional gaps.
• Submit the (a) First Draft National Assessment Report on Online Fraud and Fraudulent Recruitment Practices in Tajikistan based on findings from desk research (and stakeholder consultations, if necessary).
• Extrapolating the key findings and recommendations for the mapping exercise on fraud detection, prevention and prosecution mechanisms submit a (b) First Draft Mapping Report on Existing Mechanisms for Detecting, Preventing and Responding to Online Fraud Affecting Migrants.
5 days within W4-W5
Deliverable 3:
Analysis of Primary Data and Expanded Assessment
• Conduct interviews and focus group discussions with affected migrants
• Collaborate with the Secondary National Consultant to analyse qualitative data collected through interviews with affected migrants.
• Triangulate primary data findings with desk research to validate, refine, and expand the assessment.
• Identify online fraud typologies, recruitment scam tactics, risk indicators, impact pathways, and institutional response challenges.
• Develop preliminary recommendations for prevention, detection, enforcement, victim support, and inter-agency coordination.
• Incorporate a Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI) framework analysis based on the findings from primary data analysis
• Submit a revised (c) Second Draft National Assessment Report on Online Fraud and Fraudulent Recruitment Practices in Tajikistan, incorporating primary research findings.
10 days within W6-W7
60%
Deliverable 4 :
Final Report and Validation
• Develop PPT summarizing assessment findings for validation workshop with assistance from Secondary National Consultant.
• Facilitate the validation workshop to present findings and collect stakeholder inputs.
• In collaboration with the Secondary National Consultant, finalise the assessment report based on feedback from IOM and other relevant stakeholders during validation workshop.
• Submit (d) Finalised National Assessment Report on Online Fraud and Fraudulent Recruitment Practices in Tajikistan.
• Submit (e) Finalised Mapping Report on Existing Mechanisms for Detecting, Preventing and Responding to Online Fraud Affecting Migrants, which summarises the key findings and recommendations for the mapping exercise on fraud detection, prevention and prosecution mechanisms.
5 days within W8-W9
Performance indicators for the evaluation of results
The Lead National Consultant’s performance will be evaluated against the following criteria: timeliness, responsibility, initiative, communication and quality of the products delivered.
Required Qualifications and Experience
Education