Beware of Visa Scams

Visa Scams

The Australian High Commission in Nairobi has become aware of several visa scams. Please be cautious of any person offering 'guaranteed' Australian visas.

These scammers may contact you out of the blue by post, email, phone or face-to-face offering a visa in return for payments, personal details and identity documents. They may claim to know someone in the Australian High Commission, be a ‘registered agent' or ‘Australian visa application service’.

Scammers may try to trick you into believing they are genuine by posing as staff from an Australian Government department, or by using websites which look like official Government sites. Illegal operators often give incorrect advice, steal your money, encourage you to lie on your application and do not deliver the services promised.

Warning Signs

You get an offer out of the blue for a ‘guaranteed’ Australian visa.
The offer comes via email, post, over the phone, on a website or even face-to-face.
It claims to be a ‘once in a lifetime opportunity’, or your ‘only’ chance to travel or migrate to Australia.
You are asked to pay the scammer upfront to ‘register’ your interest in getting a visa. The scammer asks you to pay them directly rather than paying the government department and claims that only they can pay the department’s fees.
The scammer claims to have a special relationship with the Department of Immigration and Border Protection (DIBP).
They tell you they need to keep your original documents.

Remember

There is only one official Australian Government provider of visas - the Department of Home Affairs. The Department's official website is www.homeaffairs.gov.au.
If you receive an email from the Australian High Commission in Nairobi the email address must end in "@dfat.gov.au".
The Department of Home Affairs charges a one-off fee at the time you lodge your visa application. You can pay the fee directly to the department and do not require an agent to pay this fee on your behalf.
No one can influence the outcome of a visa application or the visa decision making process. Only authorised officers from the Department of Home Affairs can issue you with a visa and only if you meet all the visa requirements.
The Department of Home Affairs does not have any special relationships with outside agencies and does not give preferential treatment to anyone.

Protect Yourself

Be suspicious if you are contacted by phone, post, email or approached in person about a visa you did not apply for. Walk away from the person, hang up the phone immediately or ignore the email/letter! The Government does not contact people out of the blue offering visas.
If you wish to use an Australian migration agent, check that they are registered on the Office of the Migration Agents Registration Authority website (www.mara.gov.au) or if they are operating outside Australia to check with the relevant Business Registration office that they are a legitimate business.
Never give or send anyone your original identity documents. Government departments may wish to view your original documents in person or may ask for certified photocopies but should never ask to keep your original documents.
Never provide your personal, credit card or banking details in an email or over the phone-scammers will use your details to commit identity fraud or steal your money.
If you think you have provided your bank account details to a scammer, contact your bank or financial institution immediately.
Read Protect Yourself from Migration Fraud

Report

People with information about migration scams or illegal operators should contact the Department's Dob-In line available here: Border Watch