(NEW DELHI) Canadian officials have renewed warnings about a fake visa appointments scam after Indian police uncovered a major fraud ring that targeted people outside the Canadian High Commission in New Delhi and through a travel agency front in Punjab. The operation, led by a man identified as Anil Kumar, allegedly took large sums of money from hopeful travelers in return for counterfeit Canadian visas and fake supporting documents.
Police say the group charged victims up to $21,000 per person, promising guaranteed entry to Canada, often with bogus job offers or fake invitation letters. According to investigators, the total fraud from this one network alone is estimated at more than $650,000, with many victims only discovering the truth when they tried to verify their documents at official Canadian missions. By then, the money was gone and the visas they believed were genuine turned out to be worthless pieces of paper.
Official message from Canadian authorities
The Canadian High Commission in New Delhi has used the case to repeat a clear message: no one can guarantee a Canadian visa, and anyone who claims otherwise is almost certainly running a scam.
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) stresses it does not work with private agents who promise special treatment, priority processing, or 100% success in return for extra fees. All applications are assessed by IRCC officers using the same legal rules, whether a person applies alone or with help.
“No one can guarantee a Canadian visa,” is the core warning repeated by officials.
What IRCC says it will never do
- IRCC never sends real visas or immigration documents by email.
A genuine Canadian visa is placed inside a passport by an authorized visa office; it is not a PDF file, an image, or a link. -
IRCC never asks for banking or credit card details by email.
-
IRCC does not run special promotions, lotteries, or ‘limited time offers’ for faster approval.
Any such claims should be treated as a strong sign of fraud.
How the scam operated
Victims were told the agents had “contacts” inside the embassy or special authorization to issue visas directly. The typical steps reported by investigators included:
- Agents asked for passports to be handed over.
- Large deposits were paid into personal bank accounts.
- Applicants signed forms that contained false information about jobs, finances, or travel history.
- Brokers promised guaranteed visas often supported by bogus job offers or invitation letters.
Only when victims appeared at a Canadian mission, or were stopped by authorities, did they learn the visas and supporting documents were fake.
Common warning signs of fake visas or documentation
- Promises of guaranteed approval or “special” treatment.
- Job offers with unrealistically high salaries.
- Claims of secret connections inside Canadian embassies.
- Requests that applicants lie on forms to “improve their chances.”
- Being asked to pay large fees in cash or transfer money to a personal account instead of to an official government account.
Regional variations: how scams adapt
Scams often shift platforms and tactics across countries:
- In Pakistan, fraudsters have used fake WhatsApp numbers to impersonate embassy staff or IRCC officers.
Victims receive messages offering quick visa appointments or special work permits, then are asked for payment and personal information. Once paid, the numbers go silent or are blocked. -
Brokers sometimes sell fake invitation letters to obtain real visas for visitors. Those visitors may enter Canada legally but can be pushed into unauthorized work once here. Brokers and some consultants profit at every step.
Why these scams succeed
Analysis by VisaVerge.com points to several reasons these schemes thrive:
- Confusion about complex immigration rules.
- High demand for opportunities in Canada.
- Social pressure: relatives or neighbors may vouch for an agent, claiming someone “already used this agent and got through.”
- Fraudsters mix real immigration terms with falsehoods to sound convincing.
Legal and personal consequences for victims
Lawyers and genuine immigration consultants in India warn the damage goes beyond lost money:
- Victims may face bans from Canada if they unknowingly submit false documents prepared by a scammer, because Canadian law treats misrepresentation very seriously.
- In some cases, whole families suffer: parents take loans or sell property to pay fake agents, only to be left with heavy debt and no visa.
IRCC has revoked licences of consultants involved in misrepresentation and prosecuted brokers and hosts who knowingly help visitors break the rules.
How to protect yourself — official guidance
The Canadian government advises people to check information directly on official websites. Only sites that end in “.gc.ca” are official Government of Canada pages.
- The main IRCC site, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, offers:
- Detailed guidance on common fraud schemes.
- Information on how to confirm whether a representative is authorized.
- Where to report suspicious activity.
- Visa application forms and guides, which are free of charge.
- Be cautious with email and social media:
- Messages from free webmail accounts claiming to be from IRCC or a Canadian mission should raise immediate doubts.
- Look for spelling mistakes, unusual greetings, or pressure to act quickly.
- Genuine government emails usually end in @canada.ca or @international.gc.ca.
- Real emails do not ask for bank details or request payments through random links.
Reporting and seeking help
If you receive an unexpected job offer, scholarship, or visa opportunity:
- Verify it directly with an official source before paying any money.
Use contact details from the official government website, not links or phone numbers given by the person offering the deal. -
Report suspected fraud to:
- Local police, and
- Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre, which collects information on scams targeting those interested in Canada.
Even when money cannot be recovered, reporting helps authorities track patterns, warn others, and sometimes shut down criminal networks.
Ongoing investigations and outlook
Investigations into the Anil Kumar network and other linked scams are ongoing in India, Pakistan, and elsewhere in the region. Authorities expect more arrests as they follow money trails and review cases involving fake documents, bogus job offers, and forged appointment letters.
Canadian officials hope keeping public attention on these cases will prevent more people from falling into the same traps — whether standing outside the High Commission in New Delhi or answering a message from an unknown number on their phone.
Key takeaway: If an offer seems too good to be true, it almost always is. No one can bypass IRCC rules, no matter how much they charge.
This Article in a Nutshell
Police in India broke up a fraud network led by Anil Kumar that sold counterfeit Canadian visas, charging up to $21,000 per person and defrauding more than $650,000 collectively. Victims discovered the forgeries when verifying documents at Canadian missions. IRCC reiterated key warnings: it never emails real visas, never requests bank details by email, and issues visas inside passports. Authorities advise using official .gc.ca sites, reporting suspicious offers to local police and the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre, and verifying representatives before paying fees.
