Canada warns public of visa scammers

JAKARTA: The Canadian embassy in Jakarta is warning people of several scams circulating that promise Canadian visas and employment in the country.

The bogus agents advertised in newspapers and on the Internet to solicit clients and then charged them higher costs than the Embassy charged to process their documents, the embassy said in a press release.

People risked losing their money and their personal documents, which were never sent to the embassy, it said.

The Internet scams came through e-mail spam and pop-up websites. These e-mails and websites usually had poor English and requested payment in currencies other than Canadian dollars -- Indonesian rupiah, or in the form of wire transfers to Senegal, Nigeria, or other African countries.

"The Canadian Embassy urges extreme caution toward any agent who offers employment in Canada or guarantees a Canadian visa. The Embassy recommends that prospective visitors or immigrants to Canada consult the two official websites: www.cic.gc.ca and www.jakarta.gc.ca." -- JP