Spotting a Fraud Consultancy from a Mile Apart! Perhaps the saddest reflection of our times, is the number of fake and fly by night consultancies that are coming up to play with the aspirations of the people who wish to immigrate to a foreign country to make a better life for themselves. As we have mentioned in an earlier post on ‘How to Spot a Fake Consultancy’ many of these fraud consultancies are established with the sole purpose of defrauding the candidate with false promises and hopes. Once the candidate falls into their clutches, the fraud consultancy cheats them of their money as well as their mental peace. Not only are you left disappointed by the results but you also are made to face a tremendous amount of stress. We often see on many internet forums sites the stories of people being duped by a fraud consultant. The fraud can take many forms, either the candidate is promised a guaranteed job or visa or the candidate is asked to disclose personal information which is shared with third party vendors for a remuneration. It is of paramount importance that you learn how to do your own due diligence before you sign up with any consultancy. We had offered a number of tips in our earlier post on ‘How to Spot a Fake Consultancy’ and we reiterate them here along with a few new ones.
Is the Consultancy Accredited Any immigration consultancy worth its salt is sure to have accreditations with government and immigration authorities in countries for which it services. The most common example of visa fraud is where a nonaccredited or non-certified person operating out of a fraud consultancy convinces the unsuspecting candidate that they are indeed qualified to advice the candidate on his visa application. If a consultant you approach has no or expired accreditations then that should raise a red flag in your mind. Global Tree has received many accreditations from various international organizations such as the AAERI, PTE, Education UK, and others.
Does the Consultancy have a long established history? Many new consultancies keep propping up with the sole aim of committing visa fraud. Once their nefarious designs are exposed they shut down the company only to open another fraud consultancy under a new name. A genuine consultancy on the other hand would have a well-established and easily verifiable history of processes and reviews. Global Tree has been established in 2006 and has since then has a proven track record.
Is the consultancy on the internet? It would definitely be strange to see a consultancy which does not have an online presence. A consultancy which does not have any website or one that is unprofessional in its look should definitely raise some concerns in your mind. Many consultancies that perpetuate visa fraud do not want to devote a significant portion of their budget to building an online presence. Therefore you do not see a fraud consultancy with a good quality website. Global Tree has a growing presence on the World Wide Web and its own website and social media pages. Its consultants are available online to answer any queries and candidates and clients are encouraged to share their honest reviews
Are the reviews mostly negative? Even the best consultancies have to deal with a few negative reviews. However consultancies who have made it a habit of committing visa fraud, are definitely prone to having more negative reviews.
if the consultancy you are planning to sign up with researching has mostly negative reviews and unhappy customers accusing it of being a fraud consultancy and committing visa fraud, then you should definitely pay heed to the majority and take your business elsewhere. In contrast Global Tree has enjoyed mainly positive reviews from its happy clients who have shared their happiness with us on our website as well as social media pages.
Does the offer seem too good to be true? A fraud consultancy will most often lure its candidates by making them an offer that seems attractive on first sight. These consultancies commit visa fraud by making offers to the gullible candidates that are highly attractive on first sight but which are proven false on investigation. Global Tree has a strict policy where its staff is asked to be straightforward about the options open to the client and advise him strictly based on his and will advise you on the best course of action based on your particular background and visa needs.
Do you speak with a different employee every time? If every time you call you find yourself talking to a different employee, then that should definitely raise some concerns. A fraud consultancy that commits visa fraud on a regular basis will most probably not have a proper office space or genuine employees. Most of the people who deal with clients will be ghost employees who are not on the company payroll but are hired on a contract basis to interact with clients in the name of the consultancy. Global Tree on the other hand has a strong and highly qualified staff strength and has physical offices in 13 locations all across India.
Does the consultancy ask you to pay up front? A fraud consultancy will be interested in getting your money as soon as possible, and therefore most of them would ask you to pay money to them up front on some pretext or another. A company that is interested in committing visa fraud is more likely to ask you to pay money upfront even before any service is provided. Global Tree on the other hand provides a free initial counseling session for all its clients which enables them to judge whether the services provided are a best fit. The company takes great pride in its honesty and integrity on every case.
Are you asked to meet with ‘genuine’ visa officials? A fraud consultancy may commit visa fraud by asking you to meet with officials who claim to be from the consulate and who can according to them influence the decision in your favor for the payment of a small fee. Be very vary of any such claims as it is definitely not possible for any consular officer to meet with people outside their area of work or to be influenced by any monetary benefits.
Are you encouraged to provide forged or false documents? One of the identifying tags of a fraud consultancy is their encouragement for providing forged documents. Don’t have the requisite work experience/birth certificate/marriage certificate? Then no problem, these dubious and fraud consultancies can provide them all to you on payment of the required sum! But beware, falling for such traps can not only cause you to lose your chance at
getting a visa but you can also be debarred from applying to the country for a number of years on the grounds of visa fraud.
Does it all look too easy? A fraud consultancy will most likely lure unsuspecting candidates by making the process appear very easy and surefire. Most visa frauds are committed on gullible candidates who are made to believe that all it takes to get a visa is to pay the right amount of money. The issuance of visa is at the discretion of the visa officer at the consulate for the respective country and nothing and no one can have an influence on their decision We hope that our list on how to spot a fraud consultancy will help you in your own due diligence process. We encourage all people who are interested in immigrating or pursuing an overseas education to do a thorough due diligence before signing up with any consultancy. Global Tree at Begumpet, Hyderabad is extremely transparent in its dealings with its clients and is one of the Most Trusted Immigration Consultants in India