“Every year, millions of people apply to visit or immigrate to Canada to enjoy the many opportunities that our country has to offer.” This was part of a March 2, 2020 Statement on Fraud Prevention Month by Marco Mendicino, the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship [IRCC].
While admitting that the “vast majority of these applicants are genuine”, Mendicino has nonetheless pointed out that there are “some dishonest people who prey on these individuals”. The Government of Canada has stated its commitment to “preventing applicants from becoming victims of fraud”.
One of the most common scams that applicant encounter on their journey towards Canada PR is that of Internet, Email and Telephone Scams.
Certain things to be kept in mind by all potential immigrants include –
Telephone Scams | No payment will be asked for over telephone. IRCC might contact for further information or additional documents. Scammers can use telephone calls to steal your identity or money. Never give your payment information – that is, credit card details or bank account numbers – over the telephone. If you receive a suspicious call – 1. disconnect the call at once; and 2. report the call to your local police. You can also contact the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre if you get a suspicious phone call. |
Email Scams | Advanis, a research firm, was hired by IRCC to run a random survey from those who got a decision on their application in 2019. Those selected for survey were sent an email invite between February 3, 2020 to February 28, 2020. Typically, an Email Scam will either ask you for private information – credit card, date of birth etc.; or ask you to visit a fake website. No emails are sent by IRCC asking for personal information. Scam emails are sent from free web mail addresses or private addresses. Government of Canada accounts are – Canada.ca and gc.caIt might be a scam if the email is in the form of an image instead of text. Be cautious of emails that you did not expect. |
Fake websites | Special immigration deals are fake.Guaranteed high-paying jobs can be a scam. Don’t deal with websites that offer special deals for immigrate Canada. There is no way that anyone can promise you a guaranteed entry or faster processing. Always cross-check the address in your browser’s address bar against the address that you have typed. Both should be the same.Never provide private information to a website unless you can be certain that it is secure. A padlock icon before the http:// or in the browser window will denote that the website is indeed secure.Ensure that your browser is always up-to-date.Be cautious of websites advertised in unsolicited emails from strangers.Never give any personal information till you know for sure whom you are dealing with. |
Always keep in mind that if the deal being offered to you for Canada immigration sound too-good-to-be-true, it probably is. Not true, that is.
Scammers target unsuspecting applicants for Canada PR and commit different kinds of frauds. Scams and frauds around Canada immigration include – computer viruses, identity theft, fraud, or theft from your credit card or bank account.
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