CHANDIGARH: The Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has now warned newcomers and immigration applicants to remain vigilant about scams involving fake government communications, including AI-generated videos and voices that may appear authentic.
This advisory comes amid complaints from a few people of Indian origin hailing from Punjab who were allegedly duped by fraudsters posing as immigration officials and offering guaranteed jobs in exchange for kickbacks.
Warning newcomers about several common scams that can target people after they arrive in Canada, the advisory states that the scammers are using AI technology to create realistic content designed to mislead prospective immigrants and newcomers and has urged people to verify information through official IRCC channels and learn how to identify, report and protect themselves from immigration and citizenship fraud.
The IRCC further states that newcomers should be cautious of anyone promising jobs, visas or permanent residence in exchange for money and also warns that its employees will never ask people to deposit money into personal bank accounts, use gift cards or money-transfer services to pay fees, or threaten arrest or deportation over unpaid fees.
Among the common scams targeting newcomers are fraudsters posing as Government of Canada officials, phishing emails and text messages, computer virus scams, fake prize and contest offers, and tax-related fraud.
“Scammers may call or email while pretending to be government employees and claim the victim has violated immigration rules or failed to complete paperwork. They may demand payment and threaten deportation or loss of immigration status. This is a scam and warns that legitimate officials will not make such threats over unpaid fees. Scammers can also use technology to make a phone number appear legitimate,” it adds.
The advisory reads, “The fraudsters may send messages containing links to fake websites designed to steal banking information, passwords or other personal details. Newcomers are advised not to click suspicious links or provide personal information without verifying the sender and website. They may claim that a person's computer has been infected and offer to fix it.
They may then attempt to gain access to passwords or other private information. IRCC advises people never to give remote access to someone they did not contact for assistance. Messages claiming that someone has won a prize they never entered are often scams. People should not respond, even if the message asks them to reply with ‘stop’ or ‘no’ as this can confirm that their phone number is active. Suspicious texts can be forwarded to 7726 (SPAM) to help mobile providers block similar messages.”
It also reminded applicants that immigration processing fees are standardised worldwide and that official payments can be made online through government channels and said its officials do not use free email services such as Gmail, Hotmail or Yahoo Mail to contact applicants.