Help please

Mod edit: Moved to here from "news and announcements" forum and merged two topics. DJ

I am from Algeria , i am victim of Au pair scamers . I have send 5000 GBP to their account via Moneygram , i just know yesterday that it was scam , they requir to send them deposit i was just fool blind
They require me to send them via friend they use Uk Home Border agency , deposit for Health assurance and anti terrorism . My friend send them i am so depressed of that they send it to my name via money gram for Unitek Kigdom How can i return my money back
I am steal in contact with them can i make some thing ? can i catch thel ?

Greetings Redhead4. I wish it were hello under happier circumstances. Very sad to read of your story. The reason scammers favour moneygram and wu is because the money transference is quick. If the trickster has not collected the payment, stop it immediately! That is the only way to recover your funds. However if the scammer has collected the money, sad to say but no recourse is available to you. Gives no joy and sad to be saying this to you because I know that is not the news you seek. As for the apprehension of said scammer by law enforcement - will be highly unlikely. I wish there was better news.
Please do not think yourself as foolish because you were not to know the other individual was simply a low life of a thief. Although I realise it's a very hard lesson to learn.

This message from the Employer

Dear Au-pair Jun Marc Ramirez,
Hello Au-pair Jun Marc Ramirez, How are you doing? I am happy to see your commitment to this work. Meanwhile I have contacted our family's lawyer concerning your application and he told me that Au-pairs from your country are no longer issued Au-pair visa any more to come work in London. He said that the most convenient visa to be processed for you should be the work visa and permit which will have a duration of 1 year. I have already told him that i will take care of the expenses for the visa and work permit procession. He instructed you should forward a scanned copy of your international passport, passport photograph and C.V to his email address soon ([email protected]). Explain to him that your from the GRIMES family for Au-pair work. Once he gets back to you, then you let me know. The family is really happy about your employment regarding your personality as i have always wanted to have someone here to take care of the kids.Get back to me soonest.


Paul Grimes.

ANd this message from the LAWYER

Mr Jun Marc Ramirez, Greetings to you. your employer has already briefed me on your application and i have explained some few things concerning your visa and work permit procession to him. You will be processed a work visa and permit because the UK Government has stopped issuing Au-pair visa to people from your country. The Agency advised that the Work visa will be the best and most convenient to be processed for you regarding the fact that it will be easier to process here in London and the sponsor of the whole procession which is your employer also resides here in London. With your full and consistent co-operation, every procession and issuance can be carried out within a month and you will be issued your work visa. Your employer has already promised to take care of your visa and work permit expenses and also your flight expenses. I have submitted your application to the Agency since morning and they will contact you directly with the necessary procedures. Once the Agency contacts you, then you let me know. I will also love to get a copy of your international passport because it is very important in this procession. I require a fast and positive response from you.
Barr D.J Evans.

And this message from the AGENCY

NOTE*** YOU ARE EXPECTED TO FILL THE DOCUMENTS WITHIN 24 HOURS AND SUBMIT BACK.
** YOUR EMPLOYER HAS BEEN INSTRUCTED TO MAKE A PAYMENT OF 1350GBP FOR YOUR VISA AND WORK PERMIT PROCESSION.
* CONTACT YOUR IMMIGRANT SOLICITOR FOR MORE DETAILS





UK Border Agency,

2 Marsham Street London

SW1P 4DF
United Kingdom.

Another Message from the AGENCY

NOTE** YOU ARE REQUIRED TO READ THE PROOF OF SUFFICIENCY DOCUMENT AND GET BACK TO US WITH YOUR PROOF OF SUFFICIENCY DEPOSIT DOCUMENT WITHIN 24 HOURS.
** YOU ARE INSTRUCTED TO CARRY OUT THE DEPOSIT TRANSACTION IN A MONEYGRAM OFFICE BECAUSE IT IS THE EASIEST AND MOST CONVENIENT IN TERMS OF DEPOSIT CONFIRMATION AND APPROVAL. THE RECEIVERS NAME WHICH IS YOUR NAME SHOULD NOT BE MORE THAN 2 NAMES. DO NOT USE THESAME SURNAMES FOR BOTH THE SENDER AND RECEIVER TO AVOID COMPLICATIONS DURING CONFIRMATION AND APPROVAL OF DEPOSIT.
* ON CONFIRMATION OF YOUR PROOF OF SUFFICIENCY DEPOSIT DOCUMENT, YOUR VISA AND WORK PERMIT PROCESSION WILL COMMENCE AND BE ISSUED WITHIN 14 DAYS. CONTACT YOUR IMMIGRANT SOLICITOR FOR MORE DETAILS.



HOME OFFICE,
UK Border Agency,

2 Marsham Street London

SW1P 4DF
United Kingdom.

This was there last message to me , We have the same message that I receive from them ..

Hello Both.
The money lost is unrecoverable I am afraid. The scammer is in Africa and unknown and unreachable. Please look at the UK Border Agency website. http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/ and the page has full instructions. The UKBA do not write to individuals. The address is false.
"Deposit for Health assurance 885 GBP and anti terrorism 1340 GBP and opening account OF 2950 GBP " is a figment of the scammers imagination and don't exist in any form at all. The visa cost via VFS Global etc is the standard fee set out by UKBA below /above and not more than a few hundred pounds at the most. You need original documents to post to official authorities and if you are ever asked for copies it is a scam. It is only possible to do visa application form on line following UKBA site links. They do not have a written form you just email or scan and email. Applications are straightforward. You need to check if you qualify do the job in UK first. If you are from Algeria then I am afraid you are Unable to find employment in the UK at all because it is not an EU country and ALL other countries are barred. Some countries take part in a youth employment scheme to UK and entries are very limited.

Foreign nationals can apply for UK visas at more than 250 visa application centres worldwide. Many of these centres are run by our commercial partners .

They are civil servants in Embassies and UK government offices. Payment is never via Western Union etc .

Commercial partners outside the UK
Working with us
This page explains who our commercial partners are, and the work they do to help us provide a service to visa applicants.
We work with VFS Global and CSC (operating under its WorldBridge Service brand) at British visa application centres around the world, providing services to help people apply for UK visas.

What do our commercial partners do?
VFS Global and WorldBridge Service manage visa application centres on our behalf in 48 countries. They provide a range of administration services to visa applicants across their global networks. These services include:

providing information through websites, email and telephony;
checking (but not processing) visa application forms and the presence of supporting documents;
collecting visa application fees and biometric information (fingerprints and facial image);
entering data onto our casework system; and
submitting the application to us for a decision to be made.

Do commercial partners decide visa applications?
UK Border Agency staff process and decide all visa applications. VFS Global and WorldBridge Service staff do not play any part in or influence the outcome of visa applications. If any member of staff employed by our commercial partners claims to be able to influence a visa application, you should inform the nearest British embassy as soon as possible.
Can commercial partners' staff give advice?

VFS Global and WorldBridge Service staff cannot give you advice about how to complete your application, or the type of visa that you should apply for. If you need help with your application or advice about the UK's Immigration Rules and requirements, you should seek advice from a qualified immigration adviser (see below).

Thank you for replies and supporting , i have edit my message ultil i found a solution i will post their passport and all document right when i find a solution .

Redhead,

The ONLY thing you are doing by removing your posts is helping the criminals, by making it easier for them to steal from other innocent people.

Scammers will often pressure victims to remove the information they have posted.
They often claim that you will get your money back if you remove the posted information. Sometimes they will even contact you posing as the police, private investigators, or some other official that can get your money back and/or the scammers arrested. They will tell you that you must remove the post in order for them to succeed. Or they may even threaten you.

IT’S ALL LIES!

They are criminals. Their whole purpose is to steal your money, and the money of other innocent people. They are no different than the person who robs people on the street, only instead of a gun, they use lies and fake stories as their weapon.

They want you to remove your post because they are still using the same information to steal from other people. When the criminals’ information is posted, other victims can search and find it, and it will stop those victims from sending money to the criminals. The criminals use more lies to convince you to remove their information, so that other victims can’t find it and are more likely to send them money.

The best thing you can do is KEEP THE INFORMATION POSTED. You will gain nothing by removing the post, but the criminals will gain a lot from it.

Thank-you lilmarkveno. I thought the name sounded familiar. Wonder if it is the same paul grimes mentioned in the posting viewtopic.php?f=4&t=70392

Hi Redhead4. If you are still in contact with before-mentioned scammer, it's useless to keep in contact with it. Nothing good comes from a ill wind, as the saying goes. You would be best served by simply ceasing all contact with the scoundrel with immediate effect. The scammer will keep telling lies until the pigs start flapping their ears and are flying in the sky. Meanwhile, it keeps perpetrating more scams because you are not the only target. By removing the post, you are playing into the scammers' hand. If you are being intimidated, it is only a scare tactic. In reality the scammer will not touch you or do anything.