Immigrationrelated scams cause for concern

Red flags are being raised by the Canadian Border Services Agency’s prairie region following several targeted immigration scams in recent weeks.

According to CBSA spokeswoman Jacqueline Callin, the reported immigration-related scams have included threats of deportation and uttering coercive language via emails and phone calls as a way to scare individuals with permanent resident cards into paying fictitious fees to the agency.

Another scam involves people overseas establishing online relationships with Canadians. After a relationship has formed, phoney plans are made to come to Canada. The scammers will eventually say they are detained at the Canadian border and can only get through if a large sum of money is transferred into a bank account.

“The CBSA would never call and ask you to deposit money into an account, or send money via some kind of transfer. That would just never happen,” Callin said Thursday from Winnipeg.

She didn’t have an exact number or an estimate as to how many times the scams have been reported to the CBSA over the past few weeks, but acknowledged that one case is all it takes to capture the agency’s attention.

Callin also suggested the number of these scams might be greater since not everyone who is targeted reports incidents to the CBSA or local police.

Although no longer a Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant, Regina’s Elaine Burnett was contacted two months ago by a Regina couple — permanent residents from India — after they were called and told to pay “around $1,500” in order to clear up fees that they owed.

The couple could not be reached Thursday.

As for Burnett, her biggest question was how did the scammers gain the personal information — a cellphone number, address and a driver’s licence number — belonging to the couple.

“I told them to speak with the CBSA,” Burnett noted. “I said, ‘This is a scam. And they knew it was too.’ ”

“I THINK PEOPLE HAVE THAT INNER ALARM BELL, I THINK THEY SHOULD LISTEN TO THAT.” JACQUELINE CALLIN

She does not know if the couple indeed contacted the CBSA, but the Canadian Association of Professional Immigration Consultants remains in contact with the CBSA regarding several instances of fraud.

CAPIC president Dory Jade said from Montreal that enhancing public awareness of scams is very important.

“This is why we encourage every Canadian, on every scam or every potential fraud to report it to the CBSA. It should be a must,” he explained.

The most important thing the CBSA stressed was that people be smart and remain vigilant if contacted by someone who wants to scam them.

“I think people have that inner alarm bell,” said Callin. “I think they should listen to that.”