We understand the excitement running in veins while planning for moving overseas. Not to bitter the feeling, but make sure you are not being scammed or being trapped in an illegal racket. We often come across news about sham marriages and human trafficking, and such incidents are also prevalent in Canada. So, start cross-questioning and double-checking anything you find doubtful. Remember, there isn’t anything called a DUMB QUESTION.
Different immigration frauds
From a million different scamming and fraudulent evidence, experts identified three primary forms of immigration fraud:
Immigrant Extortion:
Several cases have been reported about immigrant extortion in the past few years. In such cases, the fraudsters masquerade to be an Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada or IRCC official and inform immigrants that some of their immigration documents are not submitted or received faulty. They insist on completing the payment immediately and ask for personal information. They will even threaten with deportation, account suspension, loss of status, etc.
Electronic scams:
The mantra to avoid these fraudsters is to question anything that sounds TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE. Such fraudsters will call you and offer you incredible immigration services at surprising low-price. Along with that, they may even promise you secured government jobs and other benefits. In return, your identity would be stolen and financial information is seized. One must be cautious before transferring any amount or sharing any personal information.
Immigration representatives:
Unlike the other two frauds, this one is the least harmful as the majority of the immigrants do not go for a private representative. So, if you are planning on getting a personal representative for assisting in your citizenship and immigration application, be overtly vigilant. Always ask for the representative’s license and other valid documents to ensure their authenticity.
How to report such frauds?
No matter how vigilant you remain, frauds and scams can happen to anyone and anywhere. The most feasible way is to contact your local police while residing in Canada when you feel threatened. It is recommended to reach out to the Canadian Anti-fraud Centre if you or someone you know is scammed and went through identity theft. One can report their grievances online through the online reporting system tool. Do not delay once in log in through the system as the portal will automatically log you out after 20 minutes of inactivity. This will leave the reporting incomplete and no step can be taken against such scammers and fraudsters. Though another way of starting the process is dialing the toll-free line (1-888-495-8501).
Identifying and reporting immigration frauds are crucial for your stay in a foreign land. Taking proper steps and being thoughtful about the decisions will help you safeguard your personal and financial information. So, before boarding the airbus, make sure you are free of any prying eyes.