Canadian agency warns about Visa fraudsters

Kenyans are losing up to Sh2.15 million per person to well organised fraudsters selling fake Visa’s to Canada and non-existent job offers to Kenyan job-seekers, an international agency that processes the travel documents, warned on Monday.

The scheme has been targeting not only low income households seeking greener pastures abroad but the very wealthy, the agency warned in a statement.

The scammers net about Sh150 million from conning about 150 people, in about two or three months.

Beaver Immigration Consulting told the Business Daily the scams have left a trail of devastation among the hundreds of the affected.

Mr Nicholas Avramis a regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant with Beaver Immigration Consulting said the agency is now “frustrated” from the mounting incidents of fraud under the scheme.

“I am very frustrated as I continue to get calls from people that have been scammed. This is a global problem with Canadian immigration in general. It is prevalent in India and China, but now the fraudsters are moving into the African region to rip people off,” said Mr Avramis.

According to him, the scam works in two main ways.

“The first is where the fraudster promises to obtain a visa to enter Canada and work. Essentially, an open work permit. This, does not exist for people outside of Canada,” he explained.

In another the scammers claim that they can find the victim a job, by securing a letter of employment from a Canadian company.