Hadil lives in Palestine and wanted to study at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia. To do this, Hadil had to research the process of applying for a Canadian study permit. During her research online, she was contacted via social media by someone who knew an immigration attorney. The attorney, “Renaud”, connected with Hadil and identified himself as an immigration attorney with CANADIM, and even sent her their website to confirm the legitimacy. Renaud was listed on their website as the Founder and Managing Partner of the law firm, so Hadil continued to communicate with him and begin the process of obtaining her study permit.
Renaud advised Hadil that the cost would be $2990 USD ($3846 CAD) to be sent to his assistant; Hadil agreed and paid from her account with the Bank of Palestine. Hadil’s mother voiced her concerns about the transaction, so she contacted Hadil’s brother-in-law, Mohammed, who lives in Edmonton to ask him to take over the visa arrangements and Hadil’s schooling. Mohammed requested an invoice for the initial payment, and Renaud also detailed the application process, and how Hadil’s student visa was dependent on the verification that she was registered in a Canadian school, including a list of courses she was registered in. Renaud continued and said for Hadil to register for school, she’d have to pay $6095 USD ($8059 CAD), and it would have to be paid to the Dean of International Students.
This new contact for payment was a red flag for Mohammed, so he contacted CANADIM using the phone number that was listed on their website, which was different than the one they were originally given. This phone call confirmed Mohammed’s suspicions, as CANADIM confirmed the receipt he was given was not from their organization. Mohammed and Hadil ceased all contact and reported this fraud to police. Thankfully, Hadil was able to recover $2700 USD of the $3000 USD sent. Mohammed continues to be contacted by the scammers, trying to get the $6095 USD from him.
Investigations into this fraud uncovered the following details:
- The scammer was using a phone number from Nova Scotia.
- The number being used over WhatsApp was from Abilene, Texas.
- CANADIM does have an attorney by the name of Renaud, so the scammer was pretending to be him.
- The money Hadil had sent
actually went to another fraud victim in British Columbia. This victim is a
minor who had been cat-phished by an online predator earlier in 2019. This
victim’s bank account had been compromised and all money was taken. Because of
this, the victim was unaware that Hadil’s money was put into their account
until their bank advised them.
“Like Hadil’s incident, most frauds are intertwined as a way to launder the money and keep the fraudsters’ identities and financial information a secret,” Detective Linda Herczeg with EPS’ Economic Crimes explained. “Sadly, it revictimizes citizens who feel trapped in their original scam, which typically involves extortion.”
Many victims of immigration fraud are convinced of the fraudulent claims simply out of fear. They have come to Canada to build a positive life for themselves and their families, and they don’t want to lose what they have. If you’re contacted by someone who claims to be from a foreign embassy, border guard, immigration attorney, Canadian Immigration office, or simply anyone who is contacting you with a quick fix for any claims against you, verify the contact and business information before acting on it. Please don’t be afraid to come forward and find the organization’s legitimate contact details to ask what is real.
Please see our webpage for more immigration fraud information.