One of the serious problems of new arrivals and international students in Canada is the well-known frauds that appear to be carried out by the immigration department, mainly through the Internet, email or phone. Many cases have been reported from Ottawa and London, but other cities may also occur. Note that the Immigration Department will never ask you to pay over the phone.
How to protect yourself from immigration fraud
To avoid falling prey to scammers, don’t believe things that sound too good because they are more likely to be unreal.
These scams are usually done for specific purposes:
identity theft
Fraud
Theft from your bank account or credit card
Computer viruses
Pay attention to the following points:
No one can guarantee you a job or a Canadian visa.
Only immigration officers in Canada, in Canadian embassies, high commissions and consulates decide to issue visas.
Application and government service fees are the same for everyone in Canada and around the world.
Fees in local currencies are based on the Canadian dollar conversion rate.
Government of Canada service fees are paid to the Receiver General for Canada, unless otherwise stated on the Immigration website.
Employees of the Immigration Department never:
It won’t ask you to deposit money into a personal bank account or pay through a private transfer service
They will not threaten you
Give you special offers for immigration
They do not use a free email address such as Hotmail, Gmail or Yahoo Mail to contact you
All free application forms and comprehensive guides for our services are available to everyone on the website of the Immigration Department.
If the salary of the job you are applying for seems excessive, be cautious.
Fake websites
It is easy for fraudsters to copy a real website and easily create a fake website that looks professional and claims to be the official website of the government or immigration office. Others may claim to guarantee special immigrant services or high-paying jobs and demand money from you. Some of these sites may ask you to enter personal information that they can use to steal your identity.
Email fraud
You may receive an email that appears to be from a real company or the Canadian government and asks for private information such as your date of birth, passwords, or bank or credit card details. And sometimes the email asks you to visit a fake website with one click.
Some people receive emails that appear to be from IRCC and ask for personal information in exchange for special services. The Immigration Department will never send you an email asking for your personal information. If you receive such an email, do not click on any of its links and do not give any information about yourself, and be sure to check the identity of the sender.
Telephone scams
The Government of Canada or Immigration may contact you by phone in certain cases to get more information and to continue processing your application, but they will never call you to receive money or make a payment. Fraudsters use phone calls to steal your money or identity, so be very careful of suspicious calls that ask for details such as your credit card number, bank account number, or any other payment information.
