UK envoy warns of visa frauds in his name, asks applicants to be alert

The warning comes days after a Twitter user had posted, tagging Ellis and the British High Commission, that “some people” are using his ID for fraud. Posting purported photographs of the identify card in the December 4 tweet, the user had asked Ellis and the High Commission to confirm whether these are “officially issued”.

Ellis had replied: “Fraud”.

On November 28, the same Twitter user — @AnnyJaybhaye — had tagged Ellis and posted about having received a job offer from a purported UK-based firm and shared a 10-digit number that the purported company had given. Asked to confirm, Ellis had responded, “Not mine — probably a fraud.”

In his Twitter thread on Wednesday, Ellis also warned users against sharing financial details: “Be suspicious if you are asked for money via email or phone. Do not share your bank account or credit card details. We’ll never ask you to make payments to personal accounts.”

A British High Commission spokesperson told The Indian Express: “Visa fraud is an ongoing issue faced by customers around the world. The UK government routinely partners with in-country travel providers and visa application centres to raise awareness of common scams targeting customers during online and in-person visa application process. This aims to empower customers to spot scams, understand the penalties of engaging with fraudulent activities and know how to report scams.”

Ellis also warned against fake websites designed to look official. “Official UK government websites always have ‘.gov.uk’ at the end of their website addresses,” he pointed out.

Officials said visa fraud and scams are not unique to any particular country or season, although the types of scams may vary. Common scams seen in most regions include fake visa or job offers requiring customer payments, and customers receiving false supporting documents from fraudulent agents.

“The High Commissioner’s tweets are part of our ongoing engagement with customers,” one official said. “We try to push this message globally, as visa fraud impacts customers from any country at any time of the year.”

According to the UK Home Office, scammers could telephone people in the UK or other countries, use websites to offer fake services or opportunities to study and work in the UK and guarantee visas, and mail from email IDs or messages from numbers that look official but are not.

Ellis also directed applicants to an advisory on the UK government’s website to protect themselves from scams that the country’s Home Department is aware of. “If you receive an unexpected email, telephone call or letter from someone who claims to be from the Home Office, it may be a scam. We will never contact you to ask for money or your personal details,” the advisory says.

The UK Home Office says there are some red flags to look out for and spot such scams: if you are guaranteed a visa to enter the UK using documents they provide to support your application; they demand secrecy or try to force you to act immediately; or one is asked to reply to a free email account such as Hotmail, Yahoo Mail, or Gmail, which may also contain poor grammar and spelling.

The website also lists a phone number in case an applicant suspects a fraud. “Your reports will be passed on to the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau and analysed to see if they can be used as part of a police investigation,” it said.