Immigration-related scams cause for concern
REGINA — The Canadian Border Services Agency’s prairie region is raising red flags after several targeted immigration scams in recent weeks.
Spokeswoman Jacqueline Callin said the scams have included threats of deportation and coercive language in emails and phone calls as a way to scare people with permanent resident cards into paying fictitious fees.
Another scam involves people overseas establishing online relationships with Canadians, then making fake plans to come to Canada. The scammer eventually claims to be detained at the border and only able to 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.
She didn’t know how many times the scams have been reported over the past few weeks, but said one case is all it takes to capture the agency’s attention. She noted not everyone who is targeted reports incidents to the CBSA or local police.
Although no longer a regulated Canadian immigration consultant, Elaine Burnett of Regina said a local couple — permanent residents from India — contacted her two months ago after they were called and told to pay “around $1,500” to clear up fees they owed.
Burnett said her biggest question is how the scammers got 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. I said, ‘This is a scam.’ And they knew it was, too,” she said.
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.”