Beware of the Australian Migration Scam

The Department of Immigration and SCAMwatch have discovered a popular migration scam aimed at people who have migrated to Australia or currently hold temporary visas. This particular scam is focused on peoples fear of being deported and is generally done over the phone.

Someone will ring you claiming to be from an Australian government agency and tell you there is an issue with your Citizenship and Immigration Services Alien’ (CISA) number or card. The person will then demand that you pay a fee immediately, generally they ask for approximately $900, or risk being deported. Please keep in mind when you get a call from an Australian government agency about your migration matter they will never demand a payment to avoid being deported. Even if the person has personal information about you, remember that these days personal details such as your date of birth, nationality and immigration status can be found quite easily on social networking forums and websites.

Bogus scams such as this are often well developed and can seem completely legitimate – if you ever receive a phone call in relation to immigration unexpectedly from someone demanding money do not give out your credit card details or transfer money over the internet! Any money that you do mistakenly transfer to a scammer is unlikely to be recovered so if you are worried or concerned you are being scammed, just hang up the phone and call the Department of Immigration back on their official contact details, which are available here.

If you believe you have been contacted by a scammer you should contact your local police or report it to the Immigration Dob-In-Line on 1800 009 623.

For more information about immigration scams, please visit the following website here.

If you have any questions regarding Australian visas or would like to begin your visa application, please contact us today.