Millions of people around the world dream of relocating to a new country in pursuit of a different life. Financial opportunities, family safety, and adventure are typically the main motivations for starting such a journey.
Making such a big change in your life can be emotionally overwhelming, to the point where you might make some bad decisions. And when we’re talking about bad decisions, we mean falling for immigration scams.
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Immigration Scam Stories
The Toronto Star has reported a story about a woman in Canada who defrauded immigration applicants. She seemed to have targeted mostly Philippine applicants. The Toronto Star explained that she accumulated more than $2 million from over 600 people she involved in her immigration scam.
Another article from CIC News reported about an elaborate immigration scam operated by a whole network of ghost companies. The scammers managed to attract skilled workers from the Middle East with promises of building a life in Canada. The scammers devised a complex process through which they gained the trust of these well-educated professionals. This elaborate scheme led the victims to believe that they are participating in a legitimate immigration process. Needless to say, once they paid all they could, the scammers vanished.
These are extremely unfortunate incidents that are way too common. These go to show that these immigration scams can happen to anyone, at any time. It is therefore very important that you know the different kinds of scams, how those scams work, and how to avoid them.
This UIS Canada Scam Review aims to help you avoid the most popular immigration scams. We will go into detail on how they work and what measures you can take to avoid them.
UIS Canada Scam Review – Immigration Scams
Romance Scams
Romance scams, also known as “phishing” scams, are notoriously common. You don’t want to end up heartbroken and broke at the same time. In this situation, the scammer will attempt to build a relationship with you, whether through a dating site, social media, or other. They will gain your trust over time and build with you a seemingly loving relationship from afar. However, they will always have excuses for why they can’t come and meet you.
Later down the line, they will start involving money in the relationship. They will ask for money to help process your visa application. They will request small amounts which will gradually increase, under the pretense that it’s all going to application fees, biometrics, government fees, etc. Eventually, when you no longer have anything to give them, they will disappear (usually without a trace).
Lottery Scams
If you receive a message via email, text, WhatsApp, etc. congratulating you for winning an immigration visa to Canada, take an immediate step back and listen to the sirens go off in your head. It’s extremely easy to fall for these because learning that you won the lottery of something that you wanted so badly can give you a boost of hope and excitement. However, as always, it’s all a mirage.
Also, an important tip to keep in mind: if ever you win a visa or a cash prize of some sort, the prize will be given to you first before paying for taxes (if applicable). In these immigration scams, it’s the other way around – they will ask you to pay a fee first.
Social Media Scams
With the popularity of social media nowadays, one should research everything that’s being shared or posted by immigration pages. The IRCC reports that there are a number of Facebook pages claiming to be affiliated with their office or with the government of Canada.
The way to avoid these scammers is to request their RCIC number and search for it on the ICCRC page.
Educational Scams
While it is possible to go to Canada to pursue higher education, you know someone is attempting to scam you when the people you are interacting with ask for payment of tuition fees and other institution fees which should go to your designated learning institution.
An immigration agency that assists with Student Visas may request service fees and government fees to file your visa application. But under no circumstance should they ask for tuition or university-related fees.
Emergency Scams
How is this UIS Canada scam review so far? We got one last immigration scam for you!
Emergency scams are usually done by phone. You will receive a phone call from someone pretending to be a government official who will try to convince you to pay fees for ‘mistakes’ in your visa application. They may threaten you with losing your immigration process or current status. They may threaten you with deportation if you don’t pay immediately. They may even scare you into thinking that you will lose your family and home.
This is one of the cruelest immigration scams out there. Its aim is to cause panic and force the victims into paying money they are not required to. Many victims fall for this out of (legitimate) fear for themselves and their families.
How to detect and avoid immigration scams?
The immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) provides the following things to remember to not be victimized by immigration scams:
IRCC will never:
- Threaten to harm an applicant or a member of his or her family,
- Threaten to damage the applicant’s home or property,
- Be aggressive or threaten to arrest or deport an applicant,
- Use the phone to ask for personal information (calls may be made only to verify the information the applicant supplied in his application papers),
- Ask applicants to pay fees using services such as Western Union and Money Gram, or gift cards and prepaid or credit cards,
- Send police to arrest applicants for any unpaid fees.
Furthermore, IRCC advises the following things to do if immigration applicants receive suspicious calls:
Ask for the name of the person calling and then hang up – do not provide them with the opportunity to scare you further.
Call IRCC’s Call Center for confirmation of the call – whether the call was real or not.
For calls involving taxes, call the Canada Revenue Agency to confirm if the call was real or not.
If the call was not real, immigration applicants should report it to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre.
In case an applicant has lost money to a scam artist, he or she should report it to the local police.
Want to Immigrate to Canada?
If you are interested in immigrating to Canada and would like a trusted agency by your side, all you need to do is follow the suggestions in this scam review.
UIS Canada is a certified immigration company that exclusively subcontracts Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultants (RCICs). You can book a free consultation today to learn about your immigration options, services, and possible fees in advance.
Get in touch with our team today!
