How I Survived A $ 1,343 Fraud

In this era of sophisticated fraud, everything and anything is possible. My experience with fraudsters makes me to believe they are smart but not intelligent. Fraudsters nowadays have shaken the confidence and faith of most people including the very elite. Scams are becoming so common in our society that we can’t even determine the genuine one. Even websites of state institutions and credible agencies have been cloned to dupe unsuspecting citizens. Hence I thought of sharing my real life experiences of scam immigration offers through this awareness and hope this can assist others to detect fraud from afar.

I have for some time now been receiving mail alerts from an agency that claims to be immigration experts. They claim to offer exclusive guide on how to successfully migrate to either Australia or New Zealand. They claim to have Immigration consultants who will effectively evaluate your profile and aid you in the immigration process. There are many phone calls that will come to you, lots of emails, advertisements to lure you with a lucrative career or job opportunities abroad, lots of money and what not. Every day millions of people fall prey to these scammers. So, I have decided to lift the lid on them a reality check on them.

First, let me start with the phone call that I received. The starting point of scams is receiving calls from foreign numbers. The caller in a male Caucasian voice made known to me what I stand to gain by immigrating to Australia. He sound lovely and jovial and requested that I repeat most of the information I had provided on the form. There I mentioned my academic qualification and working experience along with the present salary I draw. Then we came to my VISA card details; he requested that I repeat the card number and secret code or CVV number. In fact, it didn’t occur to me that I had given out the cards economic value by divulging the secret code. Immediately I did that, he inquired of my account balance since I was supposed to pay for the support services as well as the VISA application process they were assisting me with. After telling him I had less than 100 dollars in my account, he tried using the card details but was unsuccessful. Well I don’t know what even made me to say 100 dollars because I had about 5 dollars in the cedi account I hold with my Bank. Well, first fool, no be fool. So he asked whether I had any other card that could be used for payment, I responded by dissenting. So he asked how long it will take for me to raise at least half of the fee charged. How much did he charge koraa????? I remember hearing $2,000 dollars or may be more. Things became more cloudy to me when the Caucasian voice had asked that I raise at least half of the money by the end of the month. But you must know by now that fraudster’s obfuscate their preys in order to succeed. He asked me whether I would like to work in a well-known hospital. As I was eager to know the reality, I affirmed. It was as a result of my affirmation, that he told me to pay a sum for registration, so that my documents can be forwarded to the appropriate immigration body for processing. He assured me that a vetting officer would contact me within 30 days of payment. As usual, 45 minutes had passed, my bank called to ask if I had authorized some fund transfer from my account. In fact, it was a landline that had called but I later called my bank to enquire if that number belonged to them. The lady who answered my call responded in the affirmative. So I guess that call had actually come from the bank. But something happened during the call from the bank. The gentlemen who called advised that I top up my account if I want the transaction to be successful. That made me suspect he may be a party to the fraud. But on second thought, I believed it was part of his job as a customer care representative. Well the guy from the bank asked if I had any fore knowledge of the transfer, my response may have led him to say what he said. By now you should know my response. I was a fish in the net of a fraudster.

As everything was well orchestrated, I had to act fast before my salary enters that account. Early the next morning, I called my bank to cancel my VISA card. After going through all the due process, the card was finally cancelled upon my request. By now, things were clarified. I was almost in an immigration job scam. So, from next time, while wondering for jobs be sure that you are not going to be the victim of such job scam. Don’t be too desperate for grabbing high earning jobs. Because your desperation may take a toll on your money. The reason I am sharing my experience is no way to demoralize Immigration professionals but to warn them about the fraudulent practices going on within their industry. Remember, fraudsters are smart but not intelligent.

By Dr (MH) Ernest Aggrey, 0543999776/[email protected]