This licensed Canadian immigration consultant was impersonated by a fraudster. How migrants are being scammed by ‘ghost agents’

Sigh…:

About a year ago, immigration consultant Kerry Molitor started to get email alerts from the Immigration Department: letters for her clients had been sent to her online account. The problem was she had never heard of these clients.

Concerned about the consequences of the missed letters intended for the actual study and visitor permit applicants, she reported the incidents to immigration officials. 

Then last August, Molitor stumbled upon an Instagram account that used her name and her old office address and promoted a website that looked almost like hers. She clicked on the link that led her to an immigration company that showed her as the CEO, but with the photo of a white male. It also posted a fake licence certificate purported to be hers.

“These people are committing frauds in my name,” said Molitor. “I’m very fearful for the people that are contacting these scammers because I’ve had several victims or potential victims contact me to verify. They are getting a lot of attention, a lot of customers. According to Instagram, they’ve been active since December 2023.”

For a long time, the immigration consulting industry has been tackling the “ghost agents” who pretend to be accredited consultants. Canadian law only allows a consultant licensed by the College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants and a lawyer by a law society to give immigration advice for a fee.

But with business increasingly conducted online, combating these frauds — many of them originating abroad — is getting even harder.

Someone looking for help in immigration may come across a fake website or post on social media, find a matching name on the directory of the regulator and fall into the trap.

While the professional reputation of the impersonated consultants is certainly at stake, victims of the scammers ultimately pay the price as their applications will likely never be filed, or they will be refused for not having all the required documents….

Source: This licensed Canadian immigration consultant was impersonated by a fraudster. How migrants are being scammed by ‘ghost agents’